Volume 5: Shades of Grey
by Nafa-tali
Summary: After two long months of training, Kair returns to Team Rocket only to stumble upon a secret from Giovanni's past so deep that he himself doesn't even know about it... Mewtwo.
1. Shades of Grey

**Shades of Grey**

**Twelve years earlier**

_The nine year old girl precariously balanced on a high beam that hung from the castle's pointed ceiling. Leaning forward, she held one leg straight in the air behind her, her foot aligning with her own head. She felt the wabble that made its way up her leg and attempted to heed her master's call at keeping steady. But it was too late, she lost her footing and before she knew it she was falling from the high ceiling of the gym. _

_She didn't make a sound as she fell. She relaxed her body, feeling the rush of the air and the floor that came rushing up to meet her. _

"_Oof!" She hit the wood hard on her back, keeping her hands behind her head so that she didn't bash it on the floor. Coughing, she struggled to force the air back into her lungs. _

"_What did I tell you, Aisha? Do you not listen to a word that I say? This is your own fault. If you don't concentrate, then the next fall, you may not be so fortunate!"_

"_My Lady," the call of Sa'lu's butler grabbed her attention. _

_Never moving, Aisha watched from the floor as the old man approached her, informing her that they had an unexpected guest at the front door requesting to see her. The Master told him to send this guest away as she was busy, but in a low town that Aisha couldn't discern, he mentioned a name. _

_Sa'lu stopped in her tracks immediately and had to double take. "Here? Are you certain?"_

_He nodded. _

_Without so much as a word the woman stormed from the gym,__ followed by her butler and left Aisha alone to pick up her pieces. _

_Slowly, the girl pulled herself upright, squinting and wheezing at the pain in her side. When she landed, she was sure she didn't hear anything break this time, but she still felt the bruises. This year she turned nine. This meant the crash mats that were always there to break her fall were now nothing more than a distant memory. Aisha's first lesson was a difficult one; learning how to fall without breaking any bones. _

_Taking a moment to gather her wits, she pulled herself to her feet and brushed the dust off her leotard. Her body was covered in scrapes and bruises; Sa'lu was a hard taskmaster. Though, at this point, since Sa'lu had left the gym, Aisha could only assume that this session was now over. And as she pulled the old, double doors open and let herself out into the main halls of the castle, she couldn't help but wonder who this important guest was? It didn't take her long to find this out as sneaking up on the main sitting area she peered around the corner. Sa'lu was pacing about in front of a boy of perhaps seventeen who sat on the couch. He was wet from head to toe from the constant thunder showers outside and had the rugged look of a Pokémon Trainer._

_Pulling the hood from his head, he let the cloak he wore drop from his shoulders, __revealing a brilliant mop of fire- red hair. The scowl on his face was serious and the look in his eyes disillusioned. _

"_I have to admit, I am surprised to see you," __said Sa'lu. "Does anyone else know you're here?"_

"_I've come alone," the boy assured. "Everyone else thinks that I'm journeying through Unova."_

"_Unova," Sa'lu mused. "That's a long way in the other direction."_

_The boy nodded, "I've c__ome to learn from you."_

"_What is it that you can't learn at the feet of the elders?" Sa'lu scoffed._

_But the boy seemed adamant. "What you know is something that no other Master is willing to delve into. I don't just want to be a Dragon Trainer, Sa'lu. I want to be able to understand them on all levels."_

_Sa'lu fell into another round of pacing, the frown on her face blatant as she took to chewing her thumbnail. "This knowledge you seek is not to be taken lightly, boy. Once you learn these things, they will never leave you."_

"_I understand. I am ready."_

_More pacing… more thinking. "Alright," she finally said, "I will give you two months. My butler will show you to your quarters. Your training starts tomorrow."_


	2. Present Day

**Present Day**

The evening was alive as celebrations started and another Indigo League Championship drew to a close. The games had been intense, and in the opinions of many, the best yet. Trainers from all parts of the region had converged on the games and battles had been won and lost. The top winners were crowned and allowed to go up against the Elite Four, which saw many spectacular displays of Pokémon Mastery. Especially the final battle - the battle of the Champions - which left spectators on the edges of their seats.

And now as tradition dictated, the gym leaders of Kanto, the Elite Four and the Trainer Champions and their families all joined together in celebration. The reception was held in the official ballroom of the hotel where the gym leaders and members of the Elite stayed during the duration of the games. The party was full of energy and alive with noisy chatter. A live band brought songs of victory and praise to the ears of its listeners. It had been another successful championship.

I scanned the sea of faces, some of which I recognised and others I did not. My father mingled with several trainers whose success in the games had captured his attention.

And there I sat, alone at the bar, toying with the little umbrella in my drink.

The last few months had been long and intense for me. As per my father's wishes, I was sent off to Sa'lu where she put me under a difficult training regime in attempt to strengthen my powers and refine my fighting skills. I was beyond exhausted both psychically and mentally. There were things about my family that came to light, especially as I confronted Sa'lu about my mother. Things that disturbed me deeply, but I could speak of to no one.

Sa'lu received her shipment of Mew DNA serum, one that completely escaped the notice of the Pokémon G-Men. Research had gone into attempting to replicate the serum but it'd so far proven to be unsuccessful. What they needed was the catalyst which came in the Mew DNA. Without Mew, there were no abilities.

Needless to say, after months of such difficult training, the last thing I wanted was to return only to be thrown into a room full of people.

"I hear you're dangerous," I turned to the figure that approached me from behind. He leaned on the counter beside me, grinning at me hungrily. Taught in appearance, a pair of sunglasses sat perched on top of his blond, spiked hair. "You don't look all that dangerous to me."

My eyebrow rose at the Lieutenant. That was the best he had? Crossing one leg over the other, I allowed my dress to unravel down to my thigh where there on it two Pokéballs sat clipped to a strap displaying the notorious red letter R.

"I'll let you be the judge of that, Surge," I smirked innocently.

I saw the light go on in his head as he suddenly realised who I was and decided that yes, I was too dangerous for his liking. He gave a cough and immediately thought up an excuse to leave.

And so there I sat, alone with my drink which I hadn't even touched. The Dragon Master caught my notice as he stood in the middle of a gaggle of his fans, laughing and reluctantly receiving their cries of praise.

I recalled the news report that found its way to my father's desk only a day after the incident, stating that Lance had been 'discovered' in the river but the cold temperature of the water managed to slow down his circulation and therefore preserved him alive… and that it was a 'miracle' he survived. There was no doubt this was a fabrication of the PGM, but at least it got me out of hot water. My father never mentioned anything of it.

I hadn't seen Lance since that night, and I hated to admit it but I missed him immensely. But there he stood - the focus of an adoring audience. The Champion had prevailed again, his battle having finished off the League games with a bang.

Briefly, our eyes met and I looked away, deliberately absorbing myself in the countertop. I felt sick to the core. I needed to get out.

Pushing my drink away, I got up from the table and headed for the door. Passing my father on my way who grabbed me by the arm and in a low toned growl demanded where I was off to. I stopped in my tracks, taking the time to calm the wash of emotions that suddenly seemed bent on consuming me. Then turning my head, I looked him in the eye.

"To my room," I replied in kind. "Alone."

Exiting the reception room, I closed the door behind me and took a moment to lean back on it, heaving a heavy sigh. I lightly pressed the back of my head on the door and closed my eyes in attempt to swallow down this tidal wave of emotion. Why was I feeling like this? I was never an emotional sort. I always knew how to keep them in check – as Giovanni and Sa'lu had always dictated. I could only bring it down to the hard training I'd undergone on the island. My body was tired. My mind was tired. I needed to get out of here.

I watched the hotel entrance as a car pulled up at the front and I had to double take. It was a Lamborghini -the latest model, fresh off the rack; this thing hadn't even reached the show rooms yet.

Quickly making a beeline for the front door, I watched as Archer - one of my father's most trusted executives stepped from the car, casting me the rise of an eyebrow. I ignored him… unable to take my eyes off the car. She was sleek black with a specially engraved red R on her tight little backside. I couldn't resist but to trace my fingers down the sensual curves of her exquisite body. She was a goddess - a temptress screaming at me to take her for a ride.

"That's enough of that," Archer uttered from behind me, grabbing my hand and gently pulled it away from the car. "This is your father's latest investment. I've just driven it up from his estate. Giovanni's daughter or not, there is no way I'm letting you get any closer to this car."

I gave him a half grin. "The bonuses are pretty sweet at the top."

"You don't know the half of it, Princess."

"That's Boss Princess to you, Archer."

Archer only smirked at me, running a hand through his greying teal hair and handed the keys to a lower ranking grunt who acted as Giovanni's personal valet. "Don't get too cocky. It's a long fall from the top you know." He headed back into the hotel.

I waited until the glass doors closed behind him before I turned back to the valet. "How much do I have to pay you to borrow those keys?"


	3. Rush

**Rush**

The first thing that greeted me was the fresh smell of leather, which to touch was so soft that it almost melted like butter. I fell into a seat that hugged my body like the close embraces of a lover… as though we were made for each other. There I sat for moments on end, almost afraid to bring my hands to the touch the steering wheel which fit so perfectly in my palm. And as the valet promptly counted the wad of cash I'd inconspicuously placed in his hands, I dared slip the key in the ignition only to be greeted by the feline growl as she awakened.

I gently pulled the car from front of the hotel and effortlessly steered her out onto the main streets of Indigo Village. She hugged the road, her smooth motions able to lull even an angry Gyrados to sleep. She was unhappy though. Archer had driven her all the way up from my father's private estate, but knowing the good and loyal executive he was, he probably stayed well and truly under the speed limit the entire way. This was nothing compared to what she was capable of… mere child's play. She started to taunt me, teasing me for being afraid of seeing what she could do.

I drew her to a stop at a set of traffic lights that led onto a highway entry ramp toward the international airport. There, I was approached by a skyline packed full of hooting and whistling males. The driver pulled up next to me, winking and licking his lips as he revved his engine. I just sat and smiled smugly, watching as the light turned green and the skyline burnt rubber and tore off down the entry ramp… after all… it was only fair that I give him a head start…

I only needed to tap the gas for her to roar to life and within the blink of an eye we'd cleared the entry ramp. I slipped her into the next gear and before I knew it, the skyline was licking our dust. In my mirror I briefly caught a glimpse at the driver and his friends hooting and cheering from their car before they disappeared from my sight all together. Faster than a Charizard in freefall we hurtled down that highway and I couldn't resist the loud, "WHOOOHOOO! Oh how sweet is being the daughter of Team Rocket!"

The flashing lights in my rear view mirror grabbed my attention and I had to chuckle at the guts… or the stupidity of the cop that came flying onto the highway after me. He didn't stand a chance! I was gone before he even reached second gear.

It wasn't until a brilliant light in the sky came tearing up to meet me that things suddenly took a turn.

"Shit!" I cursed out loud, instinctively ducking as the police helicopter buzzed on over us, its megaphone coming to life with orders for me to cease and desist.

My highway run was as good as over. Putting her down a gear, I flew across several lanes and up a westbound exit ramp only to find myself on a long and winding road hugging a cliff that would eventually lead me toward the notorious Mt. Silver. This was a stupid move! Because even though I'd since lost the helicopter, I had nowhere else to go!

I became aware of the line-up of flashing lights that formed a barrier ahead of me and again had to curse. They'd set a speed trap! I hit the breaks and came to a screaming halt.

Two cop cars were already behind me and then half a dozen ahead that now tore up to meet me. I was cornered!

Quickly flinging my arm over the passenger seat, I threw her into reverse and took off toward the two police cars behind me, and for a moment it was a game of chicken…

"Come on!" I urged.

At the last moment, one of them veered, giving me the chance I needed to barely slip past between them.

_Clink!_ My side mirror bounced off the police car.

"Oops!" I cringed as I threw her into a 180 spin and made tracks, weaving and winding up the mountain pass.

But from what seemed nowhere, the helicopter burst up the side of the cliff, instantly causing me to hit the breaks and veer off onto gravel at high speed. We spun, stones spraying the helicopter like bullets from a machine gun.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" I screamed.

All I could see was the edge of the cliff and nothing but a wooden barrier between us and a steady drop into nothingness. There wasn't anything else I could do. I closed my eyes and teleported.

"Ooof!" I landed on gravel, rolling and copping a face full of stones. Looking up just in time to see the car burst through the fence and go flying off the cliff, crashing into the oblivion below.

Bursting to my feet I bolted for the bushes in attempt to get as much distance between me and the police. All eyes were focused on the car, so no one noticed the red beam of light and a Charizard exiting his pokéball. I clambered onto his back, taking off into the night.

* * *

"Do you have any idea how much money you've cost me with your stupid little stunt?"

"The insurance will cover it," I argued. "After all, you did report it stolen." I would have been amused at the idea of Kanto's most powerful crime lord having to report his car stolen hadn't I been at the receiving end of his wrath.

The epitome of fury himself, my father paced about his office, red in the face, teeth grinding and fists clenching. I stood on, watching as he punched a massive dent in his desk. "If you weren't all I have left of your mother, I would break your neck here and now, you brat!"

I swallowed, my hands inadvertently going to my throat, certain that he was more than capable of following through on his threat. The car chase was all over the news and played silently on a T.V hanging from the wall beside me. "I'm sorry, Father. I don't know what got into me."

He stopped at my utterance, suddenly taken aback at my change of attitude.

I kept my head down, wiping my nose with the back of my hand. Legendaries, why did I feel so congested? My head felt like it was packed with mashed potato and my throat burned. "It won't happen again."

Still angry, his voice lowered to a growl. "Brat girl, pull a stunt like that again and I'll be shipping you back to Sa'lu's island for good this time."

"Yes Father, I understand."

He sat down at his desk, taking a moment to calm his raging temper and took a swig of his drink before pressing the glass up against his forehead – as if to fight away an impending headache. "You're on one week suspension, unpaid."

I wanted to refute this, but thought it wise just to take it. At least he wasn't going to make me pay him back for damages like I was expecting. Even on my wage, it would take me years to pay him off. The thought only just crossed my mind before I felt the retch convulse its way up my oesophageus. I barely had the chance to reach for the waste-paper bucket before vomiting my breakfast into it.

Needless to say, when I came back up, the look on Giovanni's face was less than impressed.

"Get out!"

Quick to obey, I stepped from my father's office to meet the sympathetic gaze of his sectary, Delia. She sat at her desk with a curious look on her face when I wandered over and handed her the waste bucket.

"Sorry," I sheepishly smiled.

"Aisha, you look terrible," she commented, handing me a tissue which I used in attempt to cease this constant nose dripping.

"Perhaps you should report to the doctor's office." She pulled a green notepad from her drawer and proceeded to write up some sort of slip. "Get him to give you a blood test, just in case this is something related to the Mew DNA." She tore off the slip and handed it to me. "Get some rest. I heard about your big escapade last night."

"Thanks."

I did as I was told and headed down stairs to the medical facility. The medic checked my signs and took some blood as per Delia's suggestion but only concluded that it was more than likely a case of the flu. So it was probably just as well I'd scored the week off.

If the blood test merited anything urgent, he informed that me he would deliver it through to Giovanni's office right away, then gave me some pills and sent me on my way home where I spent the rest of the day sleeping.

* * *

I finally woke sometime that evening as the last remaining glimpses of the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. Sitting up in my bed, I heaved a loud yawn and stretched. That was, without a doubt, the best sleep I'd had in weeks. My head felt clearer too and my throat no longer burned. Whatever those pills were that the medic had given me, they'd worked wonders.

Now though, I was starving hungry.

Pulling myself from the warmth of the sheets, I made my way to the kitchen. The pantry was empty as was the fridge which only had old left-overs to offer me. I pulled a face and promptly dumped the left-overs in the bin. They weren't off yet, but for some reason the very smell of them made me want to vomit. I guess I wasn't fully over this flu thing after all. This left me with only two options. I was going to have to visit one of my neighbours for food or go out.

Tyson was home, I could hear him on his balcony, abusing someone on his cell phone. But ever since my promotion, it became common knowledge that I was Giovanni's daughter. And for some reason, male Rockets were suddenly cautious of getting too close to me - even the big and intimidating ones.

I heaved a sigh and put on some clothes. "I suppose some fresh air wont hurt."

I pulled my hair back into a rough ponytail, only just spotting the brown regrowth in the mirror and scowled, I'd not long re-dyed it. How could it have grown that quickly already? I grunted, popping blue hair dye onto my mental shopping list. I yanked on some boots and clipped two pokéballs to my belt.

Stepping out onto my balcony, I exchanged glances with Tyson, who by now merely sat on a seat and chugged down a bottle of beer.

"I saw your stunt with the Boss's car," he chortled.

"Oh?" I gave him a half smirk, casting an eye over the rail down at the gardens four stories below where my Charizard and Feraligator snoozed soundly under a tree. "Is there anyone who hasn't seen it?"

Tyson snickered. "You've got guts pulling a stunt like that. If you were anyone else, I'm sure you wouldn't be standing here to talk about it."

"I guess that makes me one of a kind."

"No, it makes you a target."

I raised an eyebrow.

"If anyone wanted to bribe the Boss, you're all they'd need to kidnap. If I was the Boss, I wouldn't be letting you out of my sights."

I snickered. "You think I can't defend myself, Tyson?"

I clambered the rail and jumped. And within the blink of an eye I vanished into a Teleport only to reappear on the grass below.

"Holy shi-!" I heard the commotion as Tyson burst from his seat and peered over the railing. "You crazy bitch!"

I threw him a brief salute. "Always a pleasure, Tyson!"

Turning, I made my way across the gardens stretching out behind the apartment building that eventually became the park that ran alongside the main river. Having heard the commotion, my Pokémon were now very much awake and stood upon my approach. Charizard held a note in his claw which he immediately handed to me.

I cast him a curious stare. "Since when did you learn to write?"

Charizard grunted.

The envelope displayed only my name, meaning that someone had been brave enough to approach my Charizard and hand it to him. Ripping it open, I unfolded the single piece of paper inside it that displayed only a place and a time - _'Sunny Cove pier, seven o'clock'_.


	4. The Pier

**The Pier **

The beach was empty at this time of the evening, which in itself was strange as it wasn't exactly cold. Finishing the rest of my kebab, I slowly made my way along the old pier that creaked nosily with my every footstep. Squinting in the darkness, I could barely make out the figure standing at its end. With his back to me, he faced the water and wore a hoodie.

I approached him at a careful distance, taking up a spot at the rail feet from where he stood. That was when I spotted his Gyrados lazily drifting on the water and I immediately had to swallow. "What are you doing here? Don't you know how dangerous this is? I could have an army of Rockets behind me."

Lance gave an amused murmur as he dragged his eyes from his Gyrados to me. "It's good to see you too."

Fighting the sickening lurch in my stomach, I kept my face straight and serious. All I could see now were the images of him lying on the gym floor, battered and bloody.

For what he'd suffered, he looked pretty well.

"How was your training?" he asked me.

I heaved a sigh and dropped the hard act. "Long… exhausting. How about you? I trust you're still holding onto your little dark ability."

Lance nodded slowly. "I only use it when it's necessary. But you do understand why I had to take it on right?"

"How could I forget?" I chortled. "You – as does my father - feel the need to keep me in check."

"It's not like that, Kair," Lance frowned. "I took it so that I could balance you. Everything in nature is balanced. Every strength has its weakness. Contrary to what you've been taught from your father, there is no such thing as an 'ultimate Pokémon or power'."

"And what about you, Lance? What's your weakness?"

He smirked, "I would have thought that was obvious."

Even in this moonlit sky, those brilliant eyes of his still seemed able to pierce through this wall that I attempted to put up. He moved closer to me and cupped my face with a hand, drawing me into a kiss that only managed to break down every barrier that I'd managed to put up.

I backed up into the rail but he only moved forward, pressing his body into me. Before I knew it, I felt my hands beginning to trail down his torso, my fingers slipping beneath his hoodie and gently tracing the lines of his chest.

An approving moan escaped his lips as he pulled from our kiss and pressed his forehead on mine. "I've missed you."

"Lance," I said but then almost found myself unable to finish. "I… can't."

"I know, it's too dangerous. But I don't care."

I gently pushed him away. "Don't say that. Your life is more important than this."

"Then come with me."

"Where?"

"Tomorrow I leave on assignment to Hoenn."

"Hoenn," I scoffed. "In case you forgot, the last time we were in Hoenn I suffered the displeasure of crossing Archie. And because of that, I have a hit on my head worth more than… well…" I let myself trail before changing the subject. "Lance. There's something wrong with me."

His eyes immediately scrunched, "what do you mean?"

I licked my lips, wracking my brain in attempt to find the right words. "I don't know how to explain it… but I can feel it… For weeks now I've been aware of this…. something. It's like a hyper-awareness that's taken over me. I'm finding it more and more difficult to keep things like my emotions in check. It's like I can feel a presence now."

"And you think this might have something to do with the Mew DNA?"

My head fell. "I don't know."

He lifted my chin between his forefinger and thumb and examined me carefully in the moonlight. His expression was one of serious concern. "I have contacts. I can have you taken to the PGM facility in Goldenrod if you're worried."

"No," I pulled away from his grasp. "Team Rocket has its own facilities, as you know."

"Exactly how long have you noticed this?"

I stopped to think, "Probably since about two weeks into my time spent on the island with Sa'lu."

"Do you think Sa'lu's influence might have something to do with it?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because she is deeply entrenched in the Shadow Arts of Dragon Mastery. As a Psychic, you're prone to absorbing things like that. You're hyper-sensitivity can be linked to a simple change in the atmosphere. And when it comes to the Shadow Arts… well…" his eyes dropped, "everything changes."

"Did this happen for you? When you dabbled in them?"

Lance seemed taken aback at my utterance, but soon covered it up with a sad smile, "Yes. It's a force that completely consumes you. It's a power that lies in a Dragon but Humans are able to tap into that power too.

Years before I was picked up by the Pokémon G-Men, I became disillusioned with the world. Even to the point where all I could think of was destroying everything and starting afresh. This was heavily influenced by the fact that I'd gone to see Sa'lu in a deliberate attempt to learn about these Shadow Arts not for power but to try and better understand Dragons. I went on a quest for knowledge but found myself consumed."

"So it was you who spent those two months at the foot of my master."

His head fell into a nod.

"I remember listening into some of what Sa'lu taught. She spoke of the ability to tap into Dragon senses. Is that true? Is that what you can do?"

Again he nodded. "Dragon Masters of old would employ this ability, back before days where battling Pokémon was considered a sport. Dragons are regarded as among the most ancient of modern Pokémon, appearing on this earth around the same time as Humans, it is said they were sent here to act as Guardians for us, to protect us until we learnt to stand on our own feet. And so they developed an almost symbiotic relationship with us. Among the most difficult of all Pokémon types to train, they are just as intelligent as Humans. Dragon Mastery teaches the need for trainer and Pokémon to become one as comrades. The Shadow Arts however, go further than this, teaching trainer and Master to become one in mind and spirit."

"That doesn't sound so bad," I mentioned.

"No, it doesn't. Which is what made it so appealing to me," Lance sighed. "Becoming one with a Dragon means that you take on their thoughts and feelings. You learn to see through their eyes as they do. You feel their power, their pain, and as well as this a quality that no Human is able to understand. Dragon Masters of old called this quality a Shadow or Evil, because if you are not careful, you can become obsessed by it and take on feelings of grandeur. Humans who have learnt of this power are able to use it to manipulate the minds of any Pokémon with Dragon characteristics, bending the Pokémon's will to serve their own purposes."

"And that's what happened to you?" I asked.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I found myself doing things that… well… things that in my right mind I wouldn't think of doing today. These Shadow Arts, once you learn them, you can't go back. So they're as deeply ingrained in me as they are in Sa'lu. The only difference is that I have learnt to suppress it."

"What about having the Dark Pokémon ability, how has this affected you?"

Lance stopped to think for a moment. "It's taken a bit of getting used to. Before the League, I visited Karen of the Elite Four to learn more about the ability." He gave a light chuckle, "She even lent me her Umbreon, to train me."

I smirked at the thought of the Champion being trained by a Pokémon. "So even after all of my training, you can still kick my butt in battle."

"That's not something I would enjoy doing."

I had to laugh. "I don't believe that. If you didn't enjoy kicking butt then you wouldn't be the Champion of the Elite Four."

The loud, mournful cry of a Pokémon broke us from our playful banter. Our heads shot up, eyes searching the darkness for the source of the call. This was soon covered up by the shouts of people as our eyes fell on the faint glow of a campfire just over the sand dunes.

"What was that?" I inquired. "A Pokémon battle?"

Lance's face contorted into a frown as he cast a sideways glance at his Gyrados. The serpent Pokémon's head was upright and searching for the source of the cry. A grumble erupted from its gut, as if the cries were distressing it.

"I think it's a little bit more than that," said Lance, immediately getting into a run back down the pier.

I took off after him, watching from the corner of my eye as Lance's Gyrados too started to head in the same direction. We followed him down the shoreline to the dunes where a gang of teenage boys crowded around a campfire. Keeping ourselves hidden, we watched on as several boys held down a Squirtle while another roasted a nasty looking branding iron over the fire.

"No way," I sneered. "Are they doing what I think they're doing?"

There was a fire in Lance's eyes, an anger that suddenly seemed to erupt from him. "They're branding their Pokémon."

I knew for a fact branding was illegal… hell everyone knew that. It causes needless, brutal pain on a Pokémon and on more occasions than not, the burn afterward is prone to infection.

The little Squirtle was screaming and struggling under the boy's grasp but was unable to defend itself as they held a rope around it's neck that prevented it from bringing up some sort of water or bubble attack.

Member of Team Rocket or not, this was making me furious. "We have to stop them."

"I know," Lance leered but something kept him in his place. "But I can't go busting in there and arresting them. I'm off duty and in civilian clothes. My only option is to call the police, but by then it'll be too late," he implied and I caught onto his drift right away.

He didn't need to ask my permission. "This is why the system is flawed. If we can't do things the Pokémon G-Men way then we have no choice but to do things the Team Rocket way." I reached for the Pokéball on my belt, casting the Dragon Master a wink. "We steal them."


	5. Double Trouble

**Double Trouble**

Granted, we weren't exactly dressed for the occasion but at least my jumper was still black. On the count of three, Lance and I burst to our feet and I let out a loud bellow, "Prepare for trouble!" don't ask… I just always wanted to say that.

The gang of boys all jumped back, immediately dropping what they were doing.

"Who the hell are you?" their leader – a kid perhaps the age of fifteen yelled. Small beady eyes scowled at us through long black bangs that hung over his face.

"We're Team Rocket! And we're here to steal your Pokémon, punk!"

The gang was clearly taken aback at this, predominantly so because they outnumbered us four to one. The leader simply laughed. "You would have to be the worst Team Rocket members I've ever seen!"

He did have a point, especially as one of us was under suspension and the other was actually a Pokémon detective, but I wasn't about to mention that.

"And you would have to be the worst trainers that I've ever seen!" Lance retorted, keeping his head well hidden beneath his hood.

The boy's mouth snapped shut and he straightened. "What, you don't like our little ritual? I'm starting a new gang of my own, Team Awesome!" he mocked. "You want our Pokémon? You're gonna have to battle for them first!"

"Yeah!" as was to be expected, his friends all stood up behind him and shouted in chorus. "Get through us first!"

I exchanged glances with my new partner in crime, and he nodded. "Let's see what you've got."

The kids were quick to form a line-up, taking us on two at a time. The first two in the line stepped up, throwing their Pokéballs on the ground and releasing a Rattata and a Mankey.

I called on my Feraligator.

"Rattata Hyperfang!" the first kid threw out his order.

"Feraligator, Hydropump!" I countered.

WHOOOSH! The little Pokémon didn't even stand a chance as he and his Mankey companion found themselves both washed away by the same attack. This was also the case for first few trainers we faced. My Feraligator alone was overkill, so Lance never even bothered to call on his Pokémon, instead choosing to stand back and watch me battle.

It wasn't until the older kids decided to play that things got a bit more interesting. While their Pokémon weren't too much stronger, what they lacked in strength they made up for in variety. Feraligator soon found himself facing Kanto's three starters – a Charmander, a Bulbasaur and the Squirtle from before. The little Squirtle had recovered from its previous ordeal and the ropes were taken off its neck.

The Charmander was easy to defeat and followed the same path as his Ratatta and Mankey friends. Though his Squirtle and Bulbasaur companions proved to be a bit more of a challenge. Bulbasaur didn't even flinch at the wash of water that came over it and Squirtle simply surfed the entire way and managed to sneak in a skull bash.

"HURRRHH!" Feraligator blinked and shook away the stars from in front of his eyes.

"Bulbasaur! Vine whip!"

"Feraligator! Dodge it!" That was easer said than done unfortunately. The Bulbasaur was little but quick and my hulking Feraligator copped the vine whip full force.

"HURRRHH!" he didn't like it very much.

"Aww now look what you did," I taunted the kid's Bulbasaur, "you made him angry," then said to Feraligator, "Ice Crunch."

"Razor Leaf!"

Feraligator's snapping jaws beat Bulbasaur to its attack and promptly froze its little razor leaves in place. One by one they dropped from its bulb and landed in the sand.

Bulbasaur was down for the count, leaving one nervous but determined Squirtle. It stood alone, facing off with the growling, fanged beast that was my Pokémon.

"Squirrt," it made its own attempt at a growl.

"Squirtle, give it another skull bash."

Even though Feraligator didn't much like the attack, his head and hide were as thick as rock so the skull bash did little more than bruise him.

"Bite!"

"Withdraw!"

I cursed as the little Squirtle popped into its shell which Feraligator promptly sunk his fangs into and chipped a tooth.

"HURRRHH!" he yelled, casting me an accusing glare.

"Hey!" I yelled back, "you're the one stupid enough to try and bite its shell!"

I caught Lance from the corner of my eye. He was smirking and shaking his head slowly. This was probably why I wasn't a Pokémon Master.

Feraligator at this point decided to take matters into his own hands and with a quick swish of his tail he batted the little Squirtle away and sent it flying into a fence post just as it emerged from its shell.

"Squirrrt!" The little thing hit the ground and fainted, leaving me with one Trainer left to fight.

"Bravo," the gang leader clapped his hands slowly. "I didn't expect you to make it this far."

"Come on then, let's get this over with." I placed my hands on my hips.

He had only one Pokémon on his belt, so I was already confident this would be a short fight. I was right… it was a short fight… but it didn't exactly go according to plan.

The kid simply smirked at me and unclipped the ball from his belt, giving it a brief kiss for good luck… not that he needed it anyway.

Throwing it into the air, we all had to take a step back as the huge Charizard formed on the ground in front of Feraligator.

"Woah!" my face immediately fell into a scowl. This thing wasn't just any ordinary Charizard, it was a monster! It was huge!

A menacing gurgle erupted from its giant throat that seemed more than capable of swallowing its trainer whole. Strange, striped patterns covered its body that immediately reminded me of my grandmother's unique Persian.

"You can't tell me that's your Charizard," I pointed an accusing finger.

I was right, it wasn't his. It wouldn't even listen to him. Unfortunately though, it was a fighter and out to prove who was strongest. Meaning that not only did it decide to make its own battle rules, it also immediately forced my Pokémon to the defensive.

"Feraligator, Hydropump!" I wasn't going to stand and around and see what it could do.

All at once the Dragon found itself consumed by a giant pillar of water.

The Charizard jumped upright, flapped its wings and took off into the sky. Feraligator's Hydropump ceased and I took to searching the sky for the familiar flame on Charizard's tail, following its path in a wide circle. It was coming at Feraligator in the form of a fly attack.

"Feraligator, how's your target practice? Get ready for a water gun attack, aim for Charizard's tail. Wait… wait… Now!"

WOOOSH!

"HURRRHHH!" Charizard bellowed as the flame on its tail copped a drenching.

It careened in the air, as if to trip and stumble before righting itself and sending a huge fireball at Feraligator. It went into a dive, flying within inches behind its own fireball.

"Dodge-!" I didn't get enough time to finish my order before both fireball and Charizard slammed into Feraligator. Both monsters plunged into the ground together, feet tumbling over tails.

Shrubs and trees caught fire, turning what was once a peaceful campground into a raging inferno. Taking several steps backwards, we retreated behind the sand dunes as the monsters tumbled and fought, jaws snapping and claws tearing at each other. This fight was quickly turning bloody.

"Feraligator! Use a Hydropump to get that thing off you!" I yelled at the top of my lungs!

But caught up in the inferno, he could do little more that sweat as I watched the moisture literally leaking from his pores and evaporate.

"It's useless, Kair!" Lance intervened. "That inferno has sucked the air of moisture. Recall your Feraligator before Charizard kills it!"

I nodded and did as I was told.

Caught up in the confusion, Charizard seemed to blink for a moment as it found its rival absorbed up into my pokéball in a flash of red light. It wasn't impressed either. It reared, sending a snarl in my direction enough to even make even the mightiest of men turn and run. Luckily for me, I'd faced far worse – namely the wrath of my father.

The kid who this Charizard supposedly belonged to roared with laughter, "Admit it! Nothing can beat me! You lose!"

"Not so fast!" Lance intervened. "You've still got to get through me."

The wide grin inadvertently made its way across my face as I watched Lance unclip a pokéball from his belt. No matter how unusually strong this Charizard was, it didn't stand a chance against the Champion.

Dragonite burst forth in a beam of red and the kid immediately had to step back, his eyes wide with shock and awe.

"You have a Dragonite?" he was genuinely bewildered. "No one has a Dragonite!" his shock soon turned into a look of worry and his eyes scrunched. "Who are you?"

I didn't blame him, it was only the day after the entire region had stopped to watch that very Dragonite make a figurative killing at the Indigo League Championships. So the scenes of battles and dragons were still very fresh in everyone's minds.

I guess the Team Rocket act was getting a little old, because in that moment Lance decided to pull the hood away from his face. The kid let out a bellow reminiscent of a gasp and stumbled backwards onto his butt. "Its… its you! The Champion! You work for Team Rocket?"

Lance's face turned into a scowl. "No, I do not work for Team Rocket. I represent the League of Pokémon and you…" he was fuming now. "You are a disgrace to all Pokémon trainers!"

Lance wasn't one bit afraid of the fact that the kid's Charizard was standing, snarling at him and his Dragonite as he stepped into the middle of the campground and plucked the branding iron from the fire.

"Branding Pokémon is not only illegal, it's evil. You all should be ashamed of yourselves!"

I watched the faces of boys melt and their hearts shatter into a million pieces at the berating they received from their hero. Their leader, who towered over them all, now looked to be about two foot tall as his head dropped in shame.

Lance focused his attention back on the boy. "Where did you get that Charizard from?" he demanded.

"I…I…I…" his voice was nothing but a stutter. "From some old coot," he finally confessed. "He was ranting on about cloning and genetic experiments."

My eyes fell from the Dragon Master to the Charizard and I had to wonder if it had been the result of said experimenting. It sounded not unlike something my father would dabble into. Regardless, Charizard was getting impatient. It wasn't interested in conversation, it wanted to fight. But all it took was a glare from Lance to keep it in its place. Unlike this brat kid, it knew Lance demanded respect.

It fascinated me. Was this the result of Lance's intensive training with Dragons or something a little deeper? He said that he no longer played into the Shadow Arts but it didn't necessarily mean that dragons were ignorant of his gifts.

"Recall your Charizard back into its ball," ordered Lance.

"Y…y…yes sir," the kid obediently did as he was told before he stepped over and handed Lance the pokéball. "Take it… I don't want anymore trouble with this thing."

And with that, the boys gathered up their dignity and what remained of their broken Pokémon and left.


	6. MindSpeak

**Mind-speak**

I waited until the kids disappeared out of sight before I approached Lance who angrily threw the branding iron back on the fire.

"If telling them off was all you needed to do, then why send me into battle against them?" I questioned.

He turned and shrugged, a smirk slowly breaking its way through his serious frown. "I just wanted to see you battle."

"And I wanted to see you battle that Charizard."

He glanced down at the pokéball in his hand before clipping it to his belt. "It wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway. Charizards have a tendency of throwing everything they've got into battle and then tire out very quickly."

I smiled at the statement, knowing the fact all to well. My Charizard was the king of overexertion. Attempting to train a Charizard to exercise restraint was like trying to teach it a water attack. Though I was pretty sure Lance already had that skill down to an art.

"So what will you do with that Charizard? Will you train it?" I questioned.

Lance's frown returned. "I'm not sure. It'll need to be tested."

"You think it was the subject of some sort of science experiment don't you?"

Lance chose not to answer me, but I could tell by his expression that he thought it. And if that was the case, then I was also sure that if a scanner went over that Charizard, it's microchip would likely lead him back to Team Rocket…

I watched him as he kicked sand over the campfire to douse the flames, my mind ticking over. How was I going to get my hands on that pokéball?

"_I know what you are thinking, Dragonchild, and for once I implore you to act upon these impulses." _

My head snapped around at the voiceless whisper that sounded in my mind. I cast a glare at Dragonite who stared at me intently.

"_Yes, it is me. I am relaying my thoughts to you through your psychic channel."_

"You're a psychic?" I whispered.

"_Shh,"_ she hissed. _"No I am not psychic, but I do know how to tap into your psychic channels through your Dragonchild heritage. Now listen to me. That Charizard is not normal. Yes it has dragon characteristics but it does not have a dragon heart. Its heart is one shrouded in darkness. The blood that flows through its veins is tainted. It was created by the hands of this world and not by the will of the Guardians. You must take it and not allow my Master to see it. If his heart connects with it… then it will consume him. He will become too strong."_

I attempted to copy Dragonite and directed my thoughts through this so-called channel. _"Why? What do you mean he will become too strong? His is already too strong."_

"_He is balanced. Everything in nature requires balance. You may not be aware of it, but you play an integral part in him being able to maintain that balance. He is as much a part of you as you are a part of him."_

Needless to say, when Lance turned back to us, the sight that he faced was obviously not one he was expecting. Completely oblivious to the conversation that ensued, his Dragonite and I seemed to be locked in an intense staring contest. I snapped from my thoughts and immediately spun, unable to hide my serious expression in time.

"What… are you two doing?" his eyebrow rose.

I turned back to Dragonite who had since dropped her intense gaze and went back to standing attentively beside her Master. Don't ask how I knew this, but the feeling I got was unsettling. Something told me she knew a lot more about me than she was willing to let on.

"Kair?"

For a moment, I was lost for words. I forced a light chuckle. "I'm alright… it's been… a long day."

He cast a stare at his Dragonite who gave him a gentle nudge in the shoulder as if to say, 'don't worry it was only girl talk'.

"I should probably be getting Feraligator to a Pokémon Centre," moving along, I mentioned as-a-matter-of-factly.

Lance nodded in agreement. "Well since Dragonite is already out, do you want a lift?"

How could I say no to an offer like that? "Only if I can fly," I cast him a wide grin.

I don't know if he took that as a challenge or not, but he seemed to hesitate for a moment - as if to size me up and decide whether I was capable of controlling his Dragon like that. But then I saw the look in his eye that more or less said he wanted to see what I could do.

"Alright," he smirked. "It's a deal. Let's see how you can handle my dragon."

"If that's alright," I cast Dragonite a brief glimpse while Lance quickly trotted down to the shore and recalled his Gyrados who was still drifting about in the surf.

"_Get on Dragonchild," _she smiled._ "We shall see who flies who."_

Lance clambered on behind me and in a single swoop of her wings, we took off.

Riding a Dragonite is different to riding a Charizard and yet strangely familiar. I mean the basic principals still apply. She had wings and a huge tail to steer like Charizard. But where Charizard was all scale and bone, Dragonite was softer and more rounded.

Her flight was somewhat smoother and as soon as we reached a comfortable flying altitude, she barely needed to flap her wings at all. And where Charizard grunted and grumbled with every wing-stroke, she merely hummed lightly from her chest cavity.

I have to say, there is no other sensation like flying. There is nothing more thrilling and freeing. Even stealing my father's Lamborghini couldn't compare to this. To have the wind rushing through our hair and clothes, knowing that up here… there was no one but us…

I soon became aware of Lance's hands that hugged my hips. Leaning his body into mine, he lightly grabbed my hands and gently placed them on either side of Dragonite's neck. These he would put pressure on when steering her in the direction he wanted her to go.

Dragonite pivoted, her motions were so gentle and her flight so silent I was certain we could even sneak up on a Legendary.

Whether he meant it to or not, the closeness of Lance made my body tingle. Dragonite must have sensed this because neither of us noticed the fact that she was flying away from the Pokémon Centre and back towards my apartment, and before we knew it, she'd dropped us off on the balcony.

We took turns stumbling off her back onto the balcony before taking a moment to glimpse each other in the limited light of the evening. Too consumed in the moment, I didn't think twice on the matter, I grabbed him by the shirt and yanked him into an earth shattering kiss. Lance responded with force, his hands coming to my face and neck. Our bodies collided and in the back of my mind I became aware of the snort that came from his Dragonite.

"_Humans."_ She flared her wings and took off from the balcony, _"I'll be back at sunrise."_


	7. Hidden Memories

**Hidden Memories**

I lay awake, the clock blinking something past midnight as I traced the lines of my lover's torso with a finger. Exhausted from our night, he slept soundly, oblivious to my light touch. The sweat on his body illuminated his form in the moonlight, leaving nothing to the imagination. A mop of messy, red hair sprawled across his pillow as he slept on his back with one hand on his chest and the other draped across my pillow. He really was beautiful, and even in his sleep he still managed to stir feelings in me that I'd never had for another person. It was dangerous. The risks were….well… he knew the risks… we both knew that. But still he chose to come back with me… and I chose to receive him.

For some reason, this evening my senses were alive with activity and thought. It was this hyper alertness that drove away any traces of sleep, even in spite of the exhaustive efforts of lovemaking. And as the hour passed on, I found my hopes of rest gradually beginning to diminish.

"This is pointless," I whispered to no one but myself.

Careful so as not to disturb Lance, I pulled myself from the bed and quietly put on some clothes. Leaving him alone in my apartment, I went for a walk.

Even in spite of the fact that we'd forfeited the Pokémon Centre, Feraligator had recovered from his battle and aimlessly drifted about in a large water inlet that joined onto the Viridian River. He barely noticed me pass him by. I wandered on through the park, making my way down to the river. I let my thoughts go back to the events of months ago, watching with my mind's eye the red Gyrados that exploded from the water, carrying Lance's lifeless body in its mouth. I found the tree still bearing the scars of a Thunderwave attack compliments of Dragonite, and unintentionally twitched at the memory of my own convulsions. That was a night still fresh in my mind. I had a hard time admitting it to myself, but the feelings that came with it scared me.

And so I decided to move along, only to find myself standing in front of the gym. It was locked at this time of the night but I had access to the employee entry around its rear. Slipping inside, empty darkness greeted me and only the sounds of my own footsteps kept me company. Night watchmen, alerted by my entry did nothing more than nod at my presence and greeted me a good evening.

I came across the main fighting arena, taking the time to scale the stairs up to the gym leader's platform. There I sat myself down into my father's leather chair, running my fingers down the expensive Taurus hide and leaning my head back on the rest. I played in my mind battle scenes that I'd often seen Giovanni take part in, playing his role as the Viridian City Gym leader. He was a tough opponent, his badge one of the hardest to obtain in all of Kanto. Hell, I'd never won in a match against him. His training techniques had always been firm and ruthless, not unlike what I found myself accustomed to. No one second guessed his orders. Not even his own daughter… well… most of the time.

"Merow."

My head snapped around at the white blur that slowly made its way over to my side. Giovanni's Persian rubbed its head on my hand, purring at my touch. This meant only one thing - my father was still here. Still in the office probably, I never bothered to check. Persian seemed to enjoy my company as I let my hands run through its silk-like fur. I guess it almost made me jealous at the way my father fawned over it. Persian really had no idea how lucky it was.

I wondered at the life it must have and the things it'd seen. It obviously knew no other way but that of its master. I guess that was what made it so loyal. Persian knew what Giovanni expected of it, and it especially knew of the consequences if ever it went contrary to his orders.

I recalled the photo of my mother - the one of her in Sa'lu's sitting room with the Meowth - and I immediately had to wonder if this Persian and that Meowth were one and the same. Had it known my mother? Perhaps that was why my father adored it so.

"Lucky bastard," I scoffed, to which Persian batted an oblivious eye.

A light soon came on in the gym and I found myself having to blink at the brightness.

My father made his way up the steps to the main podium, holding an empty glass in his hand. He had an exhausted look on his face after a busy day in the office.

Persian at this point vacated its position by my side and padded over to him, sticking its head under his hand and asking him for a pat.

"Do you ever sleep?" I cast him a semi-amused stare.

"Sometimes," he admitted, smirking.

I copied his smirk, "that must be where I get it from then."

Leaning over, I pulled a pokéball from my belt and tossed it in his direction to which he caught in one hand and raised an eyebrow.

"A gift for the boss," I filled.

Giovanni released the strangely marked Charizard from its ball and it blinked, taking in this new set of surroundings. The raging inferno it was only hours before had since mellowed into sleepy confusion.

"Interesting," Giovanni mused.

"Its special attacks are like nothing I've seen before. It whipped my Feraligator."

"How did you defeat it?"

"I had to take matters into my own hands," was all I said. "I highly doubt it actually belonged to the trainer anyway, he was only a kid."

My father let out a light chuckle, "If only a fraction of the half-wits working for me brought back something like this. I'd be invincible."

"So does that mean I'm not suspended?"

"I'll think about it."

Silence prevailed for a moment as we both watched the Charizard wader about the gym floor.

"I've never seen markings like that either," I continued. "They're like the markings on Sa'lu's Persian. The kid mentioned something about it being involved in some sort of lab experiment. I can only assume that's the reason why its special attacks are so high… which also makes me wonder if it was one of yours in the first place?"

"Its not one of mine," my father confessed, "Though I can tell by the markings alone it's a genetically enhanced clone."

So that was why Dragonite was calling it an abomination. It was created by Humans. I frowned as I watched Giovanni withdraw the Charizard back into its ball. "Where do you think it came from then?"

He chose not to answer, which was fine because just then another thought came to mind.

"When I was on the island, Sa'lu spoke of the genetic research that you two partnered in. Something about creating some sort of 'Ultimate Pokémon'."

"Yes. Unfortunately the results turned up a dismal failure," he said through clenched teeth, casting me an angry glare at my bringing up something that obviously didn't sit well with him.

"Well that's just the thing, Sa'lu seems to think differently," I argued. "She said she saw the successful prototype with her own eyes right here in this gym. She reckoned that it was more powerful than anything she'd ever seen."

My father scoffed at this. "I would know if I had something that powerful. I wouldn't let it out of my sights."

I gave him a confused stare. "She said it was a psychic type. An enhanced clone of Mew. You called it Mewtwo."

I watched Giovanni's eyes narrow at the impact of the name, which seemed to leave an echo in his mind. "Yes…" he said slowly. "Pain makes the body master of the will…"

Flashes of images burst forth in my mind so suddenly it was as though someone had thrown a TM at me. I sat back in the leather chair, taking in a gasping breath and blinked. I saw it… a Pokémon not like anything else I'd ever before laid eyes upon. It looked like Mew except this stood on two feet as a biped and was taller than a man. Coated in purple and white fur, it stared with intense eyes that glowed a brilliant blue.

I stole a glance with my father, my eyes locking onto the frown lines on his forehead. I could feel it… an energy, or rather a signature that seemed to emanate from him. As though something psychic had touched his mind and left it's mark.

I pulled myself to my feet, approaching him with a hand out stretched. My father did little to fight me as I placed a hand on his face and pressed my forehead on his chin.

I dug my way into his mind, searching it for the source of this signature. It lay hidden in his deepest of memories, putting up a barrier that stopped his mind from accessing whatever lay behind it… as though something had delved into his mind and deliberately blocked it and thus caused him to forget…

I chipped at this barrier, sending tiny psychic pulses that eroded it and eventually caused it to shatter altogether. Then all at once, it was as though the floodgates burst forth and my father's mind exploded with a wash of suppressed memories.

Giovanni heaved a loud gasp, immediately pushing me away and staggering for his chair. "What… did you do to me?" he demanded, blinking away the dots from in front of his eyes.

Leaning back on the rail, I copied his stance. "Mewtwo," I heaved. "You created Mewtwo."

I watched the look on his face as his mind took in this new influx of information. "Yes," he said. "It became too strong for me to handle."

And suddenly he was furious, leaping to his feet he hurled his glass across the gym, watching it smash into a million pieces on the wall. "It got away from me, twice!"

"It got away because it wasn't balanced," I whispered, Lance's words immediately impacting me like a slug to the head. My eyes fell on the pokéball in my father's hand. "You created the Ultimate Pokémon. But nature requires balance to control it. Lance took on the dark ability to counteract my powers. That was how he was able to defeat me and keep my ability in check."

Giovanni stared at me curiously and the grin slowly made its way across my face. "You created a Psychic Pokémon. In order to control it, you need to create a Dark type."

I could see the figurative toggles ticking in his head. "If I create a Dark type powerful enough to defeat Mewtwo then how to you propose I'll be able to handle it?"

I merely smiled, "You already have the means to control it." I reeled on the spot and sent him a jump-kick that, faster than a lightning strike, he managed to catch just inches from hitting his head. "Strength beats dark."


	8. The Family Man

**The Family Man**

The first glimpses of the sunrise followed us up the long and winding roadway, bringing along with it heatwaves that began to rise from the concrete. It was going to be a clear warm day… finally. The summer so far had been mild and somewhat disappointing. Today was technically the last day of summer vacation for students, so in the back of my mind, I knew that most were keen on hitting the beaches and parks for this final chance of fun in the sun.

I sat with my father and Persian in the back of a black chauffeur driven car, the driver taking every care so as not to jolt us around on the curves of this endless driveway.

Before long, the first glimpses of an immaculate mansion came into view. Strategically tucked away in the hillside, the elegantly crafted building was a stark contrast to the grey metal that made up the HQ building several miles behind us.

Similar in every way to the gym, the house was a beautiful Roman inspired building with a white brick foundation, earth-toned stone walls and brilliant, white columns with golden vinelike patterns wrapped around them.

And as we pulled up in front of two winding, marble staircases that led up to the front door, I found myself wondering why my father had chosen to bring me here. He was on the phone to one of his sectaries, making orders to have all of his appointments for today either postponed or cancelled.

A tall and slender attendant met us at the door in formal attire. Bowing respectfully, he opened it wide and allowed us inside some sort of foyer. Even though I'd been here before, I had to admit, I'd never actually seen the house on the inside. The first things that greeted me were another two sets of winding, marble staircases to either side of us, each one curving in the opposite direction.

High ceilings were supported under more columns and everywhere I looked, everything was either gold or white. The elegance was… breathtaking. The house was bathed in sunlight due to massive, arched windows that lined the walls, making it feel so warm and inviting.

Following Giovanni's lead through a set of double doors that stood beyond the staircases, he directed me into a lovely lounge area containing elegant white couches sitting around a lovely, marble fireplace that matched the marble tiles of the floor. On its mantle sat peaceful statues of Dragonites with ever watchful gazes that looked out across the lounge room.

To one side, the area opened up into what appeared to be a sunroom where the walls were again lined with tall windows. It was here that a beautiful, white, grand piano found its home.

"Your mother loved this place," my father watched my breathless gaze across the room. "She designed this entire house and I had it built for her as a wedding gift."

"Wow," I was simply gob smacked. "It's beautiful."

"Everything here belonged to your mother," he directed me to a couch and headed back out through the double doors. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

Placing myself down on one of the couches, I let my eyes go for another wander across the room. It felt so different here compared to other places Giovanni had built. Unlike the coldness and the structure that made up his facilities - including the gym - this was a place of warmth and serenity. It left me with the feeling that perhaps it was somehow a reflection of how my mother may have been once.

My eyes soon fell on a framed photo on a lamp table and I couldn't resist but to pick it up. It was a wedding photo of my parents - the only one of its kind that I'd ever seen. My mother wore an elegant, white dress and held a beautiful bouquet of white lilies and roses while a much younger version of my father wore a tuxedo. They looked to be perhaps in their mid twenties and they held one another, gazing lovingly into each other's eyes.

I actually found myself surprised at how happy they looked. Ever since I'd found out about my mother's suicide, I'd just assumed that she had always been depressed around my father. But as I watched the picture, I could clearly see the genuineness in their eyes. They were in love.

The sound of my father clearing his throat broke me from my stare and I spun to face him entering the room. He'd since shed the jacket and tie and now wore nothing more than his slacks and a partially unbuttoned shirt.

He took a seat on the couch opposite me and watched me carefully place the photo back down on the lamp table.

"Do you miss her?" I asked.

And he nodded, "Every day."

I gave him a sad smile. "What about Delia?"

In his own home, I watched as he let his front fall and for the first time, I saw him in all of his honesty. He leaned back in his seat, brushing back his greying hair with a hand. "Delia is my closest companion. If I were a believer in such things, I would think that your mother sent her to keep me…. Human."

I could understand the truthfulness behind the statement. As the head of Team Rocket and therefore the most powerful underground organisation in the region, it was easy to see how he could lose touch with his own Humanity. Delia balanced him just as Lance balanced me.

The thought sent a twinge through my stomach and I found myself leaning forward in my seat and fighting back a sudden influx of nausea.

Noticing my discomfort, Giovanni frowned at me. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," I swallowed, "Just tired."

He nodded. "Then you should sleep. I'll show you to the guest room."

* * *

I rested for a couple of hours in a guest room that was larger than my own apartment, and when I woke, I noticed there was a towel and a change of clothes sitting on a chair by the window.

I allowed myself a moment to just lie there and take in the late morning sunlight that now streamed through a tall window that overlooked the forest on the hillside. The bed itself was a huge and king sized with four dark, wooden posts and a laced canopy. It felt like something that should have been in a castle in the middle ages and stuck out as a contrast to the whiteness of the rest of the house.

I hesitantly dragged myself to my feet, somewhat relieved that my queasiness had now subsided into hunger and made my way to the bathroom. I quickly showered in a marble ensuite but bucked when I saw the change of clothes I'd been given – namely an elegant white summer dress.

I scrunched my nose in distaste. This was very obviously my father's attempt at trying to turn me into more of a 'lady'. But since my regular clothes weren't exactly fit for a place like this, I was left with no other option. I pulled the dress over my head and adjusted it accordingly, using a full length mirror as my aid. Then putting my hair up into a messy ponytail, I made my exit.

My father's attendant waited for me at the bottom of the stairs and giving me a brief bow, he directed me to a dining room that sat just off the lounge area I was in earlier.

Giovanni was already sitting at the head of an elegantly crafted dining table that looked as though it was made from the same wood as the bed. He sat with one leg crossed over the other and held a teacup in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

"You look very nice, Aisha," he commented.

I quietly took a seat at the table, unaccustomed to his compliments. The attendant who still chose to remain nameless came by with platter that smelled so good it made my stomach twist with hunger pains. This he placed on the table in front of me and left me with the difficult task of having to choose between breakfast meats, eggs, pastries and fruit. It was a breakfast fit of a king… or… a crime lord.

I grabbed a piece of watermelon and as I ate, allowed my eyes to trail across the dining room. White and bright like the remainder of the house, a lovely chandelier hung above the table and in front of me elegant French doors opened out to a peaceful garden and a large pond. That was when I spotted the small, blue snake that happily drifted about on the water, taking in the morning sunlight. Having to double take, I blinked absently. Did my eyes deceive me? Was that a…. "Dratini?" I barked absently.

My father's head rose from his newspaper and he followed my gaze.

"Yes," he said. "It belonged to your mother."

I don't know why it surprised me that my father actually owned a Dratini. Obtaining rare and valuable Pokémon was the Team Rocket motto after all.

Giovanni finished with his news paper, folded it and carefully placed it down on the table before taking another sip if his coffee. "It's a Dragon Clan tradition for parents to give their children as their first Pokémon the offspring of one of their Dragons." He explained.

"So Sa'lu has a Dragonite?" I assumed.

My father nodded.

My eyes scrunched. "How old is that thing?"

"Older than you are."

"How come it hasn't evolved yet?"

"Because it never received training. It takes longer for a Pokémon in the wild or - in the case if your mother's Dratini – one that hasn't been trained, to evolve. It will evolve in its own in due time."

For someone so bent on building up the strongest Pokémon army the world had ever seen, I was genuinely shocked to hear that from him. "Why don't you train it?"

But my father merely shrugged and plucked several grapes from his plate, and I realised right then that most likely nothing in this house had been moved or touched since the death of my mother. I guess I never realised that behind the masterminded efficiency that made up my father, there was also a strong sentimental streak. Even though she was long gone, he was still so adamant on holding on to the memory of my mother.

Once we finished eating, my father's attendant returned to take our plates away and refill our drinks. I took a glass of orange juice and watched on as he then handed Giovanni paperwork requiring his signature. I cocked my head sideways at the sight of the Gym's logo on the watermark.

Noticing my interest, Giovanni answered my silent inquiry, "Due to an increase in invested interests, I'm stepping down as the gym leader temporarily and handing it over to a relative of mine."

I straightened. "Who?"

"My aunt. You would know her as Agatha of the Elite Four."

I was stunned, "Agatha is your aunt?"

Giovanni nodded, keeping his head down and focused on his signature.

Agatha was a ghost type trainer… a Master. I only knew this because to reach to Lance when I challenged the Elite Four the year before, I had to get through her first. I didn't like ghosts. They disturbed me with their unpredictable nature. And then there was the fact that as a psychic, I was also somewhat weak against the type, though fortunately not to the extent that I was ineffective like I was against dark types.

I spotted Agatha's photo in amongst the paperwork and traced the lines of her face that looked somewhat similar to my father. She had the same jaw line, eyes and smile which I could only assume was a common family trait.

"And you were going to tell me this when? Are there any other relatives I don't know about?"

But my father seemed intent on keeping me guessing, "You'll find out all about it in due time."

I frowned and flopped back into my seat, I really didn't like these guessing games. "So is Agatha your mother's sister?"

"No, my father's."

Both were figures that I had no idea about.

"Why won't you tell me more about your family?" I scowled.

But Giovanni merely looked up from his paperwork and matched my scowl. "And why do you insist on the questions?"

"I'm curious."

"No, you're being nosy." As what usually happens when I spend too much time in his presence, he was beginning to get irritated.

But for once, I didn't feel inclined to feed off his irritations and argue my point further. Instead, I shut my mouth and let the topic drop. My father finished signing his paperwork and took in a breath before sitting back in his chair. And for a moment we both just stared at each other. I took in the stern frown lines across his forehead and the dark brown hair that had started to show its first signs of greying. And he took in the fact that we both shared that same frown and the same steely gaze that - used in the right way - could make underlings want to cower in fear at our feet.

He blinked for a moment and shook his head, taking his mind off the fact and moving on to other things.

"I've been thinking on our discussion at the gym last night and I believe you may be onto something. You may have your mother's spirit, but you've inherited my mind, I must give you that credit." He wouldn't admit it but I sensed pride in his voice.

"What did you work out?" I asked, interested in his thoughts.

"I need to do some more research, but I believe it would be viable to start looking into obtaining a dark type Pokémon powerful enough to take on Mewtwo."

"Where would you find something like that?"

His hand went to his chin in thought. "To be able to stand up to Mewtwo's power it will either have to be a Legendary Pokémon or a genetically enhanced clone of some sort."

I let the chortle escape the back of my throat. "Given the likelihood that we'll actually be able to come across a Legendary - let alone capture it - I'll take my chances with the cloning process. What about the dark sample from the Mew? That's pure ability right there. The key would be to create another 'Mewtwo' but then give it the Dark ability."

"That ability was specifically enhanced to match the Human metabolism," Giovanni refuted. "Besides, thanks to Lance, the only samples left are the ones I gave to Sa'lu."

"I'm sure you can fill in the gaps with a sample from say an Umbreon or something?"

"There is no way Sa'lu is going to let me have that sample back."

"Then send me to take it back." I insisted. "I know that castle like the back of my hand. I know where she is probably keeping it."

"And about the Mew DNA needed to create this Dark Mewtwo? Where will you get that from?"

My mouth snapped shut. I had no answer for that. I took a moment to think before noticing the glimmer in his eye and I realised right then that he already had it all figured out. He was simply testing me to see what conclusions I would draw on my own.

I frowned and much to my frustration, found myself stumped. "What if we hunted down Mewtwo and took some of his DNA?" I took a stab in the dark.

But he shot me down in flames. "Wouldn't work."

"Why?"

"Because cloning a copy will only bring inferior results. We cloned Mewtwo from Mew but enhanced it - created splices in its DNA. Mewtwo is a mutant in every aspect of the word. And as nature dictates, mutants are unable to reproduce for this very reason. It would be like recording something off of something already recorded."

He sat back and watched me with a half grin on his face, willing this brain I'd received from his half of the gene pool to tick over. But I came up empty.

Heaving a sigh, I finally admitted defeat, "Alright, you win. What do _you_ propose we do?"

"We need pure Mew DNA."

"And the only place we'll find that is in Pokémon G-Men protective custody."

"Exactly."

I found myself taken aback. "You can't be serious. We can't break into their facility… its… well impenetrable. And in case you didn't already realise, they have one very strong Dragon Master on their side. A Dragon Master who has the ability to defeat me very quickly and very easily."

"Then we create a distraction. Send him out of the region for a bit."

I stopped at this, suddenly going quiet for a moment. "No, that won't be necessary. He is already leaving on assignment to Hoenn."

My father tilted his head, "How, might I ask, did you come across that sort of information?"

My jaw clenched and I mumbled in an undertone, "because… I met up with him last night."

The twitch of his eyebrow was the only indicator of what he felt right then. His voice lowered to a growl, "There is no stopping you is there."

I suddenly took an interest in the table. "Maybe it has something to do with my Dragon Clan heritage…" I forced myself back into his gaze. "But that doesn't change anything. Lance is Team Magma's problem now. Get me the Intel on the G-Men facility. I'll get you your Mew."


	9. Ethical Issues

**Author's Note:** Those of you who are reading this in conjunction with Delia's story, you'll notice that the two stories are beginning to wind together in some way. You'll find out more on how Ash received his 'interesting ability' in the latter chapters of Delia's story.

**

* * *

**

**Ethical Issues**

Giovanni had his driver drop me off back at my apartment later that day after we spent several hours devising a way to obtain that Mew fossil. I felt exhausted from a mix of the strain my father had put on my thought processes and a lack sleep, and as a result, the congested, fluey feeling in my head began to return.

My apartment was a mess, having been left that way from my activities the night before. Lance was long gone, but I could clearly see the trail of destruction he'd left behind as he'd no doubt slept in again and had to leave in a hurry to make his flight to Hoenn.

There were dirty dishes on the sink, but he'd been nice enough to go out and buy me bread, milk and orange juice. I smirked at the note he left behind on my fridge, '_The next time I let you take off my belt, I'll be counting the pokéballs._' It wasn't like it was _his_ mutant Charizard anyway.

I poured myself a glass of orange juice and took it with me to my desk located in my bedroom. Taking a seat, I waved the mouse on my computer and waited for the screensaver to dissolve, distinctly recalling that the last time I used it, I'd turned it off. I'd probably have to change my password one of these days, I had top secrete Team Rocket mission details on this thing.

Checking my web browser, I took a moment to poke through Lance's activities only to notice he'd simply checked in with his superiors at the PGM headquarters and then taken a moment to reply to a couple of emails from people he knew including a woman named Cynthia and a fellow Dragon Master by the name of Drake.

I moved along to my messages and found an email from Delia with the title 'URGENT'.

Opening the email, I took a moment to read its contents. It was regarding my blood test results; Delia had intercepted them before they reached Giovanni's desk and it was imperative that I contacted her at once.

I opened a line on the computer through to HQ and dialled Delia's desk number, but instead of Delia, someone else answered.

"Giovanni's office," a young woman with glasses and purple hair greeted me in a serious tone. She looked to be of Asian decent and had a straight, perfectly cut fringe that sat just above her eyes. She actually reminded me of one of those Team Galactic losers I'd often heard my father ranting about.

"I'm looking for Delia," I said.

She pushed her glasses up her nose, "Delia won't be back in until next week."

"Ah…" I said slowly. "Where is she? Can I have her number please?"

The woman frowned. "I'm sorry but that's classified information that only Giovanni himself has privy to. I'd put you through to him now but he isn't in today."

'_No kidding'_ I thought to myself, but only said aloud, "What if I told you I have special orders from Giovanni to retrieve the information."

"Then I would have to say you were lying, because he doesn't need anyone to retrieve that sort of information."

Damn, she was good! I could see she was typing something on her computer and I figured she was in the process of doing a facial analysis on me in order to flag my file on the system.

I heaved a sigh, "Wouldn't it be easier if I gave you my employee number?"

The woman's typing stopped and she bit her lip, caught in the act. "That… would help," she uttered flatly.

I smirked, she was very obviously new to the position. I gave her my number and sat back in my chair, waiting for her to look me up on the system and at the same time counted down the seconds in my head before I watched the expression on her face drop.

"Oh, Madame, I had no idea…" her cheeks took on a new shade of pink.

So that's what they called me these days.

"I'll send through your step-mother's phone number right away."

I pretended not to let the mention of a 'step-mother' impact me. To be honest, before that moment I had no idea Giovanni and Delia were actually married. I thought they were just… well… you know…

I cringed at the thought, attempting to refocus my mind on more important things like the reasons why Delia needed to talk to me so urgently in the first place. Her number appeared as a message on my screen and I thanked my father's new sectary for her help before disconnecting the conversation and pressing in Delia's number. It was to a cell phone and so the call came up as voice only.

"Hello, this is Delia," she sounded sweetly over the phone.

"It's K…" I stopped and corrected myself, "Aisha."

"Oh Aisha, thank the Legendaries. I'm so relieved to hear from you."

From the sounds it of it, it seemed as though she'd feared the worst had happened to me.

"What's wrong with the blood test? Is everything alright?"

The woman took the time to swallow and gather her words. "There is no simple way to put this Aisha, so I'm just going to say it. You're pregnant."

It took a moment for my brain to put two and two together and even longer for her words to hit me. "What?" I gawked stupidly.

Then everything came crashing down and it was like I'd received the full force of a Dragonite's hyper beam to my face.

"P…preg…" I couldn't even say the word. "Delia, are you sure?"

"99.9% positive," I don't know what I found more disturbing, the statement itself or the fact that there was no hesitation in her voice.

It felt like the world was spinning, I actually had to grip onto the desk for support. How did I get myself into _this_ mess?... well… I knew the answer to that… but why me? This wasn't supposed to happen! What was I going to do?

"I'm at my house in Pallet and you're still on suspension. Could you come and see me? We need to discuss your options," Delia answered my last question for me. "I hope you at least know who the father is, Honey."

"There is only one person it can…" I went to say but then changed my mind mid sentence, "I'll be there in a few hours. Whatever happens, don't let the results reach my father."

* * *

I gingerly sat in a lounge room of a house so elegant and clean that it put even Giovanni's mansion to shame. Actually… I guess that was what it reminded me of - there was a familiar warmth to the place. Though unlike the mansion, this house actually felt like a home where I could imagine kids running around terrorising whatever small Pokémon they kept as a pet.

At that moment, the 'pet' in question was a Mr. Mime named 'Mimey' who wore an apron and tore around dusting and cleaning. In the kitchen I heard the clash of pots and pans that brought along with them the mouth watering smells of something cooking on he stove.

Delia appeared in the archway carrying a tray of teacups and a plate of cookies. "How do you like your tea?" she placed the tray on the table and poured me a cup.

I was still slightly shaken up over the news I'd been given, so unfortunately I could only answer with a stupid, "I… don't know."

Delia gave me a warm smile in attempt to ease the rush of feelings that tore through my mind and shredded any form of logical thought in the process. She reached for a folder she had tucked under her arm and carefully placed it into my lap.

I just stared down at my name for a moment before I mustered the guts to open the file. The results were all in numbers and charts that would take nothing short of a medical dictionary to decipher, but then the doctor's notes appeared on the bottom in a tidy scribble. _'Pregnant. Approx. 8-10 weeks along' _Only confirming the fact in my mind that I was pregnant before I even went to see Sa'lu.

"That's why I've been feeling so strange," I said to no one.

But how did I not cotton onto this fact before? I was sure I would have noticed it when I missed a period! But then the more I thought on it, the more I came to realise that I never really kept track of it in the first place. To be honest, I never even noticed that more than two months had passed since my last one.

"So who is the man brave enough to get so close to the daughter of the region's most powerful crime lord?" Delia broke me from my thoughts. "That is assuming you know who it is."

She obviously hadn't been in the loop with regards to recent events, and I wasn't in the mood for talking about it. "I know who the father is." I said curtly.

Realising that this was all the information she was going to get, Delia took in a breath. "Well you're still in your first trimester so you have two options, abort or carry it to full term."

"I think the most logical choice is clear," I said quickly.

But with the rise of a hand, Delia stopped me before I could settle on my decision. "Before you set your heart on that option, I need to warn you that it's a decision you can't take likely. It's not as easy as making things disappear, there are serious emotional consequences that come with abortion, let alone the ethical issues at hand."

I exhaled through my nose which resulted in an unintentional snort. "Delia, I'm more worried about the 'ethical issue' I'd have to face if my father ever found out."

She nodded, "If you've chosen abortion, then I can only assume that you haven't told the father yet."

My eyes immediately narrowed at this point, "What has he got to do with anything?" I growled defensively

"Well it is his baby too."

I suddenly found myself taken aback at Delia's mention of a 'baby', and it impacted on me for the first time that this was a living being we were talking about.

"Aisha, I had to face the same decision as you, when I found out I was pregnant with Ash. At the time, Giovanni and I weren't married, but he was willing to support me no matter what my decision was. But when it came down to it, I had to ask myself how could I deprive such a helpless being of life? At least give yourself a couple of weeks to think on these things." she stood up and plucked a photo frame from the bookcase, smiling lovingly into the face in the photo before she handed it to me.

It was a photo of Ash with his Pikachu. He was wide eyed and overjoyed as he held a trophy with the words 'Orange League' inscribed on it. Given the chance to inspect him closer this time, I now noticed certain characteristics that reflected my father's… our father's heritage. While he possessed many of Delia's angular features, I had seen the determined glint in his eye and the victorious smile all too often in not only our father, but even in me too.

"He really is an amazing boy," Delia's voice was filled with the pride only a mother could have.

I had to agree, recalling in detail the brief time we'd spent together on the run. "He is special. His Pokémon really love him."

"Yes, he's always had this affiliation with Pokémon." Delia smiled and took up her place on the couch again. "He has this aura around him. Some would call it an 'empathic' ability."

I got the impression that there was much more to her statement. "How do you mean?"

She blinked off a memory and shook her head, replacing her thoughts with another smile.

"Let's just say he is special… like you are in some aspects."

Special? Like he had an ability of his own? I wanted to ask more but I could tell from the front she put up, that Delia was uncomfortable with talking about it. Perhaps I would get more information from my father.

Delia pulled herself to her feet and plucked the tray from the coffee table. "Its getting late, would you like to stay for dinner?"


	10. The Operation

**The Operation**

**Two weeks later**

It was Friday night and Goldenrod was a hive of activity. The city lights were on and people both young and old flocked to the downtown, eager to get their weekend started.

The city itself was a maze of streets and tunnels that one could easily find themselves lost and mugged in. Fortunately for us, we were the most dangerous people around and so those who happened to be looking for trouble tended to avoid us like the plague.

'Us' in question was a band of around thirty or so Rockets who stood in a tight huddle as we listened in on our mission briefing for one last time. The tunnel had been blocked off specifically for our operations and led into the basement of the Goldenrod Department store.

"Unfortunately, we're out of uniforms for the new recruits so anyone who doesn't have one, needs to head down to the photo studio and get a costume for the meantime. Everyone else, disembark," Team Rocket Executive Archer dismissed the huddle.

I waited until the sea of black dissipated before approaching the executive who now stood at the top of the basement stairs. Behind him, I could clearly hear the frightened wails of a man who struggled under the force of those that gagged and bound him to a chair.

"Where'd you get all the extra staff from, Archer?" I questioned.

"New recruits," he grinned. "If they pass this test then they may have a future in Team Rocket. Now are you ready for your part?"

I nodded, fighting away the sudden feeling of butterflies. I don't know why I felt so nervous; it wasn't like this was my first assignment. It was, however, my first independently planned mission.

Giovanni had granted my request at breaking into the PGM headquarters and obtaining the Mew fossil that they'd seized from Team Aqua months before. What I hadn't counted on however, was the fact that as his heir, he wanted to see me not only execute but plan the mission too. This was the biggest responsibility I'd ever been given in Team Rocket. I even had the executives under my command… though I was more than certain they were mainly here to ensure that things ran smoothly and to step in if they didn't.

Two agents –a man and a woman - came up the stairs behind Archer and he spun to greet them.

"Kair, this is Comet and Pixel,"

The one named Comet looked somewhat flustered as he brushed away loose strands of red hair from his face, leaving me to assume that he was the one responsible for the gagging and binding of our 'hostage'. Supporting a strong build, he looked to be in his twenties and had a deceiving 'good boy' face with brilliant blue eyes and a gentle smile. He wore a jumpsuit not unlike mine - as was required for special ops assignments.

Pixel, on the other hand was a bit more reserved. Like me, her hair was blue and tied back in a ponytail, though unlike me, her hair didn't show any signs of regrowth. She wore the 'male' version of the Team Rocket uniform though it didn't seem to give her a 'tomboy appearance like it always did on me. The red stripes on her sleeves denoted her ranking and over one shoulder she carried a laptop bag.

Archer went about handing us earpieces and ensuring that our signals were active. "Pixel, you know what to do. Kair and Comet, Petrel is waiting for you at the photo store. Everything is in place, the rest is up to you, Madame," he cast me a gentle wink before making his departure down the stairs.

I cast a sideways glance at my new partner, "Ready to make Team Rocket history?"

"Don't you know it," he snorted.

Making Team Rocket history was perhaps the overstatement of the century, but to ensure the success of the mission, we had to make things look big. As Comet and I made our way back through the underground tunnels, a hoard of uniformed grunts was in the process of storming the radio tower. The executives had stayed up all night coming up with the reasons why we were suddenly taking an interest in the tower. It was all a big ruse, of course. The faint sounds of news and police helicopters buzzing overhead confirmed that so far, things were going according to plan. While the city was distracted and the police and government forces converged on the radio tower, it was the sole mission of Comet, Pixel and I to break into the PGM facility and grab that Mew fossil.

Not only this, but just so the theft couldn't be traced back to us, we were also going to frame someone in the process.

Executive/Master of Disguise Petrel was there to greet us at the studio. Known as the best dressed man in Team Rocket, his uniforms were always immaculately pressed and his purple hair and goatee perfectly styled. And as was to be expected, when faced with the prospect of being in charge of dressing us, his large, puppy eyes were wide and excited.

"Come on! I've got the perfect disguises for you! Boy, you here first! I'll save the best for last." He signalled Comet to follow him through drawn curtains into the dressing room and left me to wait outside.

"Ahh Aisha, goddess of the night and the sole holder of the key to my heart!" I heard him before I saw him as he appeared from around a bend and threw a dramatic gesture.

"That's Kair to you, Proton. Only my parents call me Aisha."

The green haired executive grinned and pulled himself up onto the studio bench, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back on his hands. "And what about your '_secret'_ lover, what does he call you? Does he call you his little Dratini? Or something more along the lines of a Dragonite?"

I cast him a dagger glare which in itself was stupid as he only fed off that sort of thing.

"Ohhh Lance, ohhh Lance!" He mocked, pretending to make love to himself.

Inside, I wanted nothing more than to punch him in the throat but even that wouldn't have stoped him, so instead I just chose to grin and bear it. Proton was a trouble maker.

"You don't know the half of it," I heaved a fake sigh and leaned back on the counter beside him.

"When you gonna call me that, huh?" He looked down over me with a hungry smirk, alluring to the fact his real name was also 'Lance'.

"Probably when I start letting you call me Aisha."

He snorted and pulled out what looked to be some sort of jerky from a packet his pocket and started nosily chewing on it. "You want some?"

I pulled a face; it smelled like it'd been lying on the side of the road for several days. "What is that?"

"Slowpoke tail. It's really quite good."

"I'll pass."

"Coward."

I raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be in a broom closet with a high-skirted rookie by now?"

"Psshh!" he scoffed. "I swear the rookies are getting younger these days."

And I chortled in reply. "That never stopped you before."

He had to nod at my point. His big sister in HR would never approve.

Before long the curtains were pulled away and the Team Aqua agent casually stepped from the dressing room. Comet gave himself a once over in a mirror as Petrel stepped out behind him, his grin spread from ear to ear.

"Perfect!"

"It looks like something my four year old son would wear to a pyjama party," Proton burst into a fit of laughter. He clutched his stomach and Comet made the point of grabbing him by the leg and tipped him over the counter. The executive hit the concrete floor with a wheeze.

Ignoring Proton's comments, Petrel signalled me over to the dressing room. "Come on Kair, you're next."

I followed him into a room that had been thrown into utter disarray. Cupboards and cabinets had been brutally broken into and garments of every kind lay strewn across the floor in a haphazard fashion. I only had to hope - for their sake - that the owner of this studio had insurance.

"Now I need you to get out of that jumpsuit and put these on." Petrel handed me a Team Aqua costume similar to what Comet wore.

I quickly pulled my way out of my Team Rocket uniform and dressed while Petrel went to work with tying my hair back into a tight bun and placing a huge, red wig on my head.

"The trousers are a little tight," I frowned.

Petrel copied my expression. "That's because you've put on a few pounds."

I stared down at my slightly protruding stomach, suddenly horrified.

"Honey, if I didn't know better I say you were preg…"

The glare I threw him was enough to stop in him his tracks. He backed slightly and chose not to continue along that train of thought. The trousers weren't that bad anyway, and besides, dealing with the heavy lifting and hand to hand combat was what I had Comet for.

Petrel proceeded to pull a blue bandanna over my head that bore the Team Aqua insignia and I spotted a sketchbook on the desk. The page was open to Petrel's Team Aqua costume designs and attached to the page with a paperclip was a photo of the Aqua member I was set to impersonate - namely the second in command, Shelly.

Curious with his drawings, I took a moment to flick through the pages only to come across other designs including possible new uniforms for Team Rocket.

"These are really good, Petrel," I commented.

The executive blushed. "Oh you really think so?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

I pointed to an outfit that looked like something the leader of an army would wear. It had designs for both men and women and involved long double buttoned jackets or tunics. "What are these for?"

"They're my ideas for the Executive and Admin staff. I've been researching the uniforms of rival gangs and I realise that we need to look more 'professional'. I even have a design for Giovanni here," with a hair brush in one hand he signalled for me to turn the page before getting back to fluffing up my wig.

I tilted my head at the new design and tried to imagine my father wearing something like that. "Well, if he likes it, at least it'll get him out of that disgusting orange suit of his," I chuckled.

"Precisely! That thing is so 'yesterday's mobster'. Team Rocket is so far beyond trafficking and shady deals. He needs an outfit that speaks…" his hands gestured in a wide arc over his head, "World Domination!"

"I'm pretty sure that will do the job," I pressed my lips in attempt to hold back any sarcastic remarks and nodded.

Oblivious, Petrel just beamed at me, "I'll be presenting my new ideas to the board in our annual meeting next month. I'll be sure to let your father know I have your seal of approval."

I wouldn't have gone so far as to say that… but I really didn't want to bust his bubble. And besides, after how many years of governing Team Rocket in his Italian suits, what were the chances of my father changing his dress code anyway?

* * *

**Author's Note:** A LOT of new and familiar faces appearing in this chapter! :D!

Firstly, Archer, Petrel and Proton all appear in the games and the Manga. I haven't read the Manga but I have played the games which is what I've based their personalities off.

Also! After much begging, I was granted permission to 'borrow' two of MikariStar's characters Comet and Pixel. They reign from her fic 'Don't give me Diamonds' –A Giovanni and Delia shippy story :D! If ya wanna check it out, there is a link to it in my fave stories.


	11. The Operation Pt 2

**The Operation Pt 2.**

The PGM building was so much bigger than what I remembered. Acting as the Government Headquarters for the country's fight against Pokémon cruelty, the place was usually crawling with agents. Fortunately for us, the agents were too distracted with Team Rocket operations at the radio tower to even take note of the fact that Comet, Pixel and I were in the process of breaking into it.

"Is everyone ready?" I heard Pixel through the earpiece in my head.

Glimpsing Comet in the limited light of the alleyway, I nodded and he relayed my affirmation. We were crouched behind a dumpster just outside the delivery entrance around the rear of the building.

"Good, I'm just waiting for the satellite feed to come through. Won't be a moment," said Pixel.

I had no idea where she was, possibly sitting in a park or something of the sort. What mattered was that she was out of earshot of anyone who might take an interest in our little conversation. While Comet and I broke into the facility, it was the young hacker's job to get into the security system and ensure our safe passage into and out of the building.

"Alright, I'm online."

"Excellent Pix. So what are we dealing with here?" questioned Comet.

"I've managed to freeze-frame the camera over the back door so you've got a five minute window to get into the building undetected."

Making a final check of our surroundings, Comet and I made our way through the shadows to the rear entrance. As was to be expected, the door was locked and required a security card to access it.

I let the backpack drop from my shoulders and quickly pulled a swipe card attached by wires to a scanning device and handed it to Comet. This he slipped into the reader on the door. The lights on the scanner blinked several times as it established a link between the computer in the lock and Pixel's laptop, before it accepted her instructions and the door clicked open.

We slipped into a long, concrete hallway dimly lit by the occasional neon light. A single security room came off the hallway which was occupied by a middle-aged man who hooted and whistled at some sort of Pokémon battle on TV.

I pressed myself up against the wall and watched Comet as he disappeared into the room. I needed only wait seconds before I heard the 'thwack' of the Team Rocket Agent's fist that made contact with the soft body of the security guard.

"All clear," Comet's beckoning sounded a moment later.

I entered into the tiny security office just as Comet dropped the guard's body in the corner and stripped him of his swipe card and Pokéballs, and I took to searching the video screens for the place we were headed.

"It looks like its two patrol officers per level." Comet came up from behind me and peered over my shoulder. "How many levels are we looking at?"

I pointed at what looked to be a large vault located in the laboratory, "Six."

Comet nodded, "Pix, we need you to be our eyes and ears. Are you ready?"

"Affirmative," the hacker replied, "Head into the elevator down the end of the hall. Don't worry about security - they won't be close for another few minutes. Taking the lift will put you out of range of me, so just let me know when you reach the sixth floor."

Following Pixel's instructions, we located the lift and found - much to our disappointment - that it only went to the fifth level with our access. This meant we were going to have to climb the shaft the rest of the way. We chose to keep our heads low in the presence of the elevator camera, allowing it to capture just enough to identify us as 'Team Aqua Agents'. Then once the fifth floor came up Comet hit the emergency stop and we drew to a halt. Reaching up to bat the manhole out of its spot, Comet gave me a leg up and we both took turns to clamber into the main elevator shaft.

"That's quite a climb," Comet whistled.

I dropped the manhole door back into place and double checked my surroundings for cameras.

"It shouldn't be too much of a problem," noting that we were alone and unwatched in the shaft, I grabbed Comet by the waist and pulled him into an awkward hug. "I hope you don't have a girlfriend." I smirked.

He grinned in reply, though I could tell he wasn't particularly comfortable with my closeness. It was only for a few seconds anyway. I watched the ledge that indicated the floor above us and in a quick flash of light I teleported us upwards.

"Woah!" Comet's foot slipped as we suddenly found ourselves balancing precariously on a ledge only wide enough to allow us to stand on our toes.

I pressed my body up against the door and attempted to shuffle out of the way of Comet, who found a crowbar in our bag and jammed it into the door. This he jimmied open and allowed us onto the sixth floor.

The floor was home to a massive laboratory/medical facility that I vaguely recalled from the time Lance had brought me here after rescuing me from Archie several months ago.

A long hallway with medical rooms on either side gave the place the feel of a hospital, then after several metres, it opened up into a gigantic laboratory that would put even Giovanni's lab at HQ to shame.

"Wow," I blinked to take in the eerie shapes of counters and state-of-the-art testing equipment all paid for by the hands of honest, hardworking tax payers.

"Pixel, can you read me?" Comet hissed through his com.

Her reply was slightly garbled from the interference at first, but then the closer we got to our destination, the clearer it became. "Are you at the vault yet?"

"Almost," I whispered.

Carefully making our way across the lab, we located a huge metal door which had been sealed shut. Knocking a hand on the steel, I confirmed that it was solid and therefore virtually impenetrable.

"Pixel, it has what appears to be a secure locking mechanism," I said.

"Awesome, hook me up," she chirped in reply.

Pulling the same trick she did with the back door, Comet and I waited in silence as Pixel made an attempt at wirelessly hacking into the system.

"Urgh," she eventually gave a grunt. "Well this is going to complicate things."

"What is it, Pix?" Comet looked slightly worried.

"I can get in, but due to the nature of the security system, I'll have to go about it by infecting the computer with a virus and causing it to think that someone is already locked in the room. It'll open the door but it will also set off the alarm."

"Great," I uttered under my breath. "How long will it give us before security arrives?"

"Exactly two minutes."

"Only enough time to get us in and out of the vault," hummed Comet before casting me a sideways glance. "You up for a fight?"

"Absolutely," I grinned then said to Pixel, "Alright, do it Pix."

We watched as the display on the locking mechanism suddenly blinked 'ALERT' in emergency red. A loud click sounded throughout the lab as the door came open only to be drowned out by the ear-splitting wail of an alarm.

"Geeze! That's loud!" howled Comet.

We quickly piled into the vault which was similar to something commonly found in a bank. Large metal drawers lined the walls of a room that was perhaps the size of a single car garage. Then in the middle of the room there was a table and a computer. Luckily for us, it was still turned on and opened onto a search page. I typed in 'Mew fossil' which came up with a single result. A drawer by Comet's head opened with a hiss, spraying the cold air of a freezer into the vault.

I tossed Comet my backpack and he found our transport container, then taking care so as not to ruin the priceless piece, he carefully lifted the Mew remains from storage.

"It's hard to believe I'm holding probably the rarest Pokémon in the world," he mused.

I smirked, Mew wasn't anything special to me… not when I had the thing's DNA running through me… hell… we were practically related.

"Well careful not to contaminate it or the Boss will eat you for breakfast."

He didn't seem to doubt that.

"Two minutes are up you guys! I hope you're on your way out by now!" Pixel's voice broke us from our concentration.

"Shit!" Comet and I both cursed simultaneously.

Shutting off the Mew in his container, Comet quickly stuffed it back in the bag and zipped it up, and the two of us bolted from the vault only to face off with a couple of security guards holding torches and Pokéballs.

"Stop right there!" said one.

"Team Aqua?" exclaimed the other.

"How nice," I made my best attempt at a Shelly impersonation. "I see you're already well acquainted with is here in Johto!"

"Whatever it is you have in your bag, you need to put it down right now."

I cast a glance over at my partner who only smiled back at me. "What do you think, Shelly? Should we do what we're told?"

"Hah! I don't think so," I scoffed.

In a single motion, I threw up the pokéball I had strapped to my belt. "Go Walrein!"

"Crawdaunt! I chose you!" Comet followed suit.

In a flash of red our Hoenn natives burst from their balls. Somewhat similar to a Dewgong only darker and with larger tusks, Walrein let out a throaty gurgle that I could only assume was a growl, while Comet's Crawdaunt snapped its large pincers.

The security guards responded in kind and released their Houndours as was standard for law enforcement in Johto.

"Water Gun!" cutting right to the chase, we didn't even give them the chance to get on the defensive.

"Hurrr!" the two dogs suddenly found themselves consumed by a wall of water.

"Houndour! Ember!" from somewhere on the receiving end of the water attack, a voice erupted before our Pokémon copped the full force of the fire attack.

"Waaaal!" Walrein let out a loud bellow, the Pokémon's ice type characteristics not boding well for it.

Crawdaunt on the other hand just seemed to shake off the attack and at the order of Comet proceeded to hoe down on its opponent in the form of a nasty Crabhammer attack.

"Oh man, why do you get the cool Pokémon, Comet?" I whined. "Walrein! Another Water Gun!"

Still somewhat dazed, my Pokémon did as it was told, the force of its attack sending the Houndour flying across several lab tables and into a wall.

Our security guards very soon found themselves Pokémon-less.

"Calling for backup! I repeat-"

The force of Comet's high kick knocked the radio from the guard's hands. He reeled back into a bench, stunned and dazed before his friend - in an attempt to defend him - crash tackled Comet to the floor.

"Oof!" Comet wheezed.

The guard was on top of him but with a swift kick of my foot, he copped a face full of my boot. His head snapped back and he flopped to the floor beside Comet.

I helped my partner to his feet only to find that the first security guard had since disappeared.

Withdrawing our Pokémon, we made a quick dash from and lab and back toward the lift. It was in use and left us with no choice but to take the stairs. But instead of going down, we went up.

Scaling the stairs, we busted down the door several floors up.

"Pixel! Give me status! Where are we?" I hollered through my com.

"According to your homing beacon, you're in the agency office. Head to your right and eventually you'll come across a closed door that should be the commander's office. Break into that. From there, you'll be able to execute plan B."

Hurrying past several desks, I barely let the thought cross my mind that one of these probably belonged to Lance before we found the office Pixel was talking about. The commander's name blinked in silver lettering on the door which Comet kicked it down, and we burst into the room and made a dash to the window.

"It's locked!" Comet bellowed before grabbing the commander's pricy desk chair and hurled it into the window.

CRASH! Glass shattered, sending shards and the office chair hurtling for the ground below.

I went to scrabbling about the window sill for a secure latch while Comet dug about our backpack for our harnesses and rope. We'd barely managed to get into our harnesses when we heard the sound of footsteps thundering along the floor toward us.

Latching onto the window sill and hooking us in, I gave Comet the signal and we both clambered outside. Fortunately, neither of us was particularly afraid of heights.

"Stop right there!" Security burst into the room just in time to see us drop...

* * *

**Author's Note:** Pixel and Comet belong to MikariStar


	12. The Radio Tower

**The Radio Tower**

Our feet barely got the chance to touch the ground before we pulled our way out of the harnesses and bolted for the nearest alleyway.

"Pixel! Can you read me?" Comet yelled through his com. "Are you in the air?"

"Affirmative!" her reassuring voice sounded through our earpieces.

"Excellent. We're on the ground, can you see us?"

"I'm right above you."

I caught the glimpse of a Charizard's tail in the darkness that kept itself inconspicuously placed between two buildings. So long as our pursuers didn't look up, they wouldn't see her.

"Are we safe?" I asked.

"You've got about thirty seconds before they make it to the ground floor."

That was just enough time for Comet to strip out of his ridiculous Team Aqua uniform and get into civilian clothes. Throwing the disguise into the nearest dumpster, I slipped the backpack on his shoulders and with a nod sent him off down the alleyway. It was all up to him to meet Giovanni at the rendezvous point in the foyer of a hotel and deliver the package.

I on the other hand, headed in the opposite direction towards the radio tower.

"Kair! You've got company!" Pixel's voice hissed in my head. "It's the police, they're on their way."

"Shit!" I cursed. I still had several streets before I reached my destination. "Pixel, I need you to guide me!"

"I'm providing you with cover, hang on." Within moments, a smoky fog suddenly seemed to descend on the street in the form of her Charizard's Smokescreen attack.

Pulling my bandana from my head, I used that to cover my mouth and blindly forced myself down the street.

"Stop. Don't move!"

I halted.

"Cops are coming up on the other side of the street. If you stay still they won't see you."

My eyes were burning from the thick smock and I forced myself not to choke.

"Alright, you're all clear."

My progress was painfully slow as the Smokescreen followed me right up the streets to the entrance of the underground tunnel. There it began to dissipate and the light thud of the fire Pokémon hitting the pavement not far behind me confirmed that Pixel and her Charizard had landed.

In a beam of red, the young Rocket withdrew her Pokémon back into its ball and met me at the tunnel entrance. It was only then that I became aware of the loud sirens of police cars that blared on through the city.

Making our way down stairs, we backtracked through the underground system and arrived back at the costume store. There was no one there to meet us meaning that Pixel was given the task of helping me out of my Shelly disguise and back into my Team Rocket uniform.

I let out a frustrated growl as I struggled to pull my tight jumpsuit over my midsection.

"Urgh, I hate being pregnant!" those words were out of my mouth before I even realised I'd said them, and suddenly I found myself staring into the shocked expression on Pixel's face.

There was nothing I could say to take it back or convince her she'd heard otherwise.

"You're preg-?"

"Legendaries, Pixel, you weren't supposed to hear that! Don't tell anyone, you hear me?"

The girl swallowed, her eyes going as wide as two moons. "I won't."

I just had to count my lucky stars she wasn't anyone else - as I knew she was one of the few I could rely on to keep the secret.

"I haven't decided what to do about it yet," I confessed a bit more gently this time. "If my father finds out..."

She caught onto my gist right away and she nodded. "How far along are you?"

"Almost twelve weeks," I pulled my way into knee high boots as Pixel went about stuffing my Team Aqua costume into a garbage bag.

"So you'll be able to hear its heartbeat soon."

"Really?" I had to ask. "How do you know?"

Pixel simply shrugged and gave me a gentle smile. "I dunno, I read it in a book somewhere."

Now that I was back in my Team Rocket uniform, she left me to ponder on the thought as she headed out to meet Archer in the basement and proceed with our plans to move out.

I made my way out to the radio tower which was still under siege. Police cars surrounded the building and all roads in and around the area were blocked off - not that any of it posed as a threat to me now that I was myself once again. Before anyone could notice me, I focused my mind on the radio tower foyer I'd visited only that morning and teleported.

Inside, the place was in a state of chaos. Team Rocket new recruits battled recklessly with trainers who had found themselves caught up in the takeover. I made my way up stairs, keeping myself sparse so as not to attract the attention of potential challengers. I didn't want anyone to know of the Pokémon I had on me and therefore ruin the guise.

Locating the manager's office, I discretely knocked on the door twice before pushing my way in only to find myself face to face with the Station Manager himself.

I backed immediately. "What the...?"

The man perhaps in his forties wore a trench coat and a hat and was _supposed_ to be tied up in the Department Store basement. He bore me a defiant grin before it soon gave way to a loud cackle and that was when I realised it wasn't the manager at all... it was Petrel in disguise.

"I almost had you!" Petrel wiped an amused tear from his eye. "Priceless."

"Take that ridiculous thing off," I growled in a tone better known from my father. The executive obviously had too much time on his hands.

As he pulled the stupid disguise off, I fell into a seat in front of the desk with a weary sigh.

"Operations went well I trust?" Petrel located the manager's liquor cabinet and proceeded to pour two glasses of drink.

"Exceptionally well," I said, utterly exhausted. "As far as the Pokémon Government Men are aware, Shelly of Team Aqua got away with the Mew fossil."

"Excellent." He handed me a glass.

I accepted the drink, going to taking a swig only to stop and realise it wasn't such a good idea given my current state. I gently placed the glass down on the desk and put my feet up next to it. "So what's Team Rocket's reasoning behind laying siege to the Radio Tower?"

Petrel shrugged. "Something about an 'evolution inducement wave'. Its fake of course… the real experiment was destroyed by your old secret lover."

My lip immediately curled at that point. "Why is it that everyone knows about him?"

The executive merely smirked and took up the manager's chair. "Honey, when you eventually take over this organisation, the first thing you'll have to learn is that Team Rocket's walls have eyes and ears. There are no secretes."

"I'll keep that in mind," I uttered flatly, realising that given my current predicament, time really wasn't on my side. I suddenly found that drink all the more tempting.

It was the loud crash of a police's Machoke busting in the radio tower doors down stairs that stopped me from acting on those impulses.

Petrel joined me in sticking his boots up on the desk and finished what was left of his drink. "Time for phase two."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Many thanks to MikariStar for letting me use Comet and Pixel.


	13. Love

**Love**

The handcuffs pinched my skin and left my wrists sore and red. Giving them a gentle tug, I crossed one leg over the other as with visible discomfort, I balanced myself on the edge of a metal chair.

The Goldenrod Police Headquarters was crawling with cops that carted in Team Rocket new recruits by the handful – well the ones who didn't manage to escape the raid. Only those who pulled off a successful escape faced with a prospective future in Team Rocket. Call it an initiation if you must, the first rule of joining Team Rocket was you needed to be able to evade the authorities... unless you intended on getting caught.

I heaved an impatient sigh, I hated to wait. Spending Friday night in the police station wasn't exactly my idea of a 'good time'. But it was pointless trying to escape now... not when that wasn't my objective.

I'd already gone through the regular procedures. Photographed, finger printed, and questioned - you know, the usual stuff. Now though, I found myself handcuffed to Officer Jenny's desk, waiting for her to finish entering my latest conviction into my record.

She knew I was a prominent member of Team Rocket and she wanted me for extra questioning... though unfortunately for her, the questioning rooms were already occupied.

The smug look on her face indicated that she felt she was onto something big. She'd 'caught' not only me but Petrel as well in probably the biggest Team Rocket bust in Johto history. This was going make the headlines for weeks; 'Trainers defeat Team Rocket in an amazing feat of Pokémon battle strategy!' Journalists were already lined up outside the police department, eager to sink their teeth into a good story.

Needless to say, even as she finished typing up her report, I could tell Jenny relished the idea that a hefty promotion was surely on its way. It almost made me feel bad that in a few minutes I was going to have to bust her little bubble. Because what she failed to realise, was that the whole purpose of this arrest was to ensure that the PGM (one Dragon Master in particular) conferred with her report and placed me at the scene of the Radio Tower crime.

In amongst the chaos outside, I watched a black car pull up at the front of the station. A grey haired man in an expensive business suit entered through the double doors. The badge on his chest denoted the fact that he'd recently been re-elected as Goldenrod's Mayor even in spite of his previous misdemeanours that had somehow '_vanished'_ from his record.

I smirked, casting a glance over at my captor. "I bet fifty bucks in two minutes you're going to have to unlock these handcuffs."

Officer Jenny seemed to think otherwise. "I highly doubt that, Team Rocket," she said officially.

"Jenny, wrap it up. Yu is free to go," as of on cue, a male superior officer approached us.

"What?" not surprisingly, Jenny too wasn't keen on the idea.

Her superior dropped the paperwork on her desk, visibly sharing her sentiment. "Court orders. We can't touch her."

Her lip curled and my smirk widened. She had no choice in the matter, orders were orders. That was the nature of the system – it could be worked if you knew the right people.

She un-cuffed me from the desk and threw me a dangerous leer. "This isn't over, Team Rocket."

Unfazed by her threat however, I merely got to my feet and offered her a defiant grin. "You owe me fifty bucks."

Stepping outside, I did my best to avoid the sudden avalanche of news reporters and cameras and made an immediate bee-line for the car. The door slammed shut behind me and I faced with the shadowy form of my father who sat in front of me, a hungry grin spread from ear to ear as he gently tapped a finger on the small transport container.

"Excellent work, Aisha."

We needed only wait a few more minutes for Petrel to arrive before the car pulled out of the station, no one apart from us any wiser of the true success of our mission.

* * *

Eager to get his fossil into the safe hands of the laboratory, we flew straight back to Kanto that night. Exhausted from the mission, I slept most of the way in the helicopter then by the time I stepped into my apartment, my tiredness had virtually dissipated.

I attempted to put myself to bed even though it was almost sunup but soon gave up on that endeavour when I once again found myself staring at the clock. By the time dawn came, I'd given up.

It was yet another warm morning as I pulled myself from my bed and took up a seat at the desk, heaving a loud yawn as I waited for the computer to start up. I was aware that I needed to eat, but it was my fight with nausea that kept my hunger at bay.

In the last couple of weeks, I'd focused on everything but the issue of what I needed to do about this pregnancy. But now that people were beginning to notice and find out, I realised that my time was quickly running out. I needed to take decisive action.

Opening the web browser, I pulled up a search window, before typing in a single word. _Abortion._

My finger waved over the enter key, hesitating and yet not knowing why. If I had really set my heart on this decision, then what stopped me from going through with the procedure two weeks ago when I'd found out?

"You waited because you were doing it for Delia," I attempted to reason with myself. This was still the logical thing to do. I could forget this mess ever happened and no one –especially my father - would be any wiser. It was the best outcome for everyone. That was what I tried to convince myself. But it seemed every part of me agreed except one… my heart.

It was the incoming video call that stopped me in my pursuit, the number showing as being from a Pokémon Centre in Hoenn. I answered the call and somehow found myself surprised to be staring at the source of my problems.

"Kair, I hope it's not too early."

"Too early for a Saturday yes, but on this particular morning, I'll make an exception." I replied bluntly.

The Dragon Master smiled, visibly exhausted from his adventures in Hoenn.

"How is Team Magma treating you?" I asked.

"It's over, thankfully. I just phoned to tell you I'm on my way back to Kanto. I should be home by tonight."

The view of the Pokémon Centre behind him was fairly quiet as trainers waited at the main counter to fetch their Pokémon from Nurse Joy and continue on their travels. A small group of teens and pre-teens chatted quietly in a lounge area, finishing drinks of hot chocolate and sharing stories. I spotted the kid with his Pikachu and had to double take.

"Is that Ash behind you?"

Lance turned to take the kid into his line of vision before he nodded. "Yeah. Long story."

"I'll bet," I said somewhat bemused. If Giovanni knew who his son was associating with, I was sure he would have a fit. "I trust your mission was a success?"

"Yes," Lance nodded. "The world is safe for another day."

I chuckled at the thought, completely oblivious to the happenings in Hoenn.

"Well, I better get moving. I've got a flight to catch in an hour."

"Lance," I stopped him suddenly. "Before you go."

The Dragon Master watched me fidget on his screen and gave me a frown. "What did you do, Kair?" his tone was suspicious.

"Nothing," I said quickly and in spite of it being a blatant lie. "I… just needed to ask you something."

His suspicion melted into a look of concern and he watched my head fall for a moment. I couldn't help but press my hand on my solid, protruding stomach. Everything had changed for me in the last couple of weeks. My world had been turned upside down. Was he really ready to hear that sort of information?

"What… what are your thoughts on life?"

The gentle smile slowly made its way across his face. He was curious as to what brought on my question but chose to answer it regardless. "Once a long time ago, someone told me that life is wonderful."

"Life is wonderful?"

He nodded. "I'll talk to you when I get back to Kanto." The screen went black.

I took a moment to sit back in my chair and think on his words. What did he mean by that? _Life is wonderful_. How did this apply to the little form that sat in my womb? Its life hadn't even started yet. What did it know about living?

What Pixel had told me the night before came to my mind with a vengeance. It was only a simple statement but like Lance's words, it meant so much. Would I really be able to hear the baby's heartbeat now?

There was only one way to find out.

I closed my eyes, concentrating my mind on the little form in my belly, searching for anything that would tell me it was more than just something that grew inside of me.

The quick pulsating of a tiny heart was what greeted me, strong and auditable not unlike the heart of its father. The little being wriggled and squirmed about, and with my mind's eye I picked up on the faint images of tiny hands and tiny feet. Blood pumped through its veins and tissue continued to form into organs. And that was when I noticed another presence… a second heartbeat, this one not as strong but undeniable. The little being wasn't alone. I was carrying twins!

I don't know how, but I suddenly realised the first twin was aware of my presence. It wriggled about, a curious hand reaching out into the great void that surrounded it and it offered me a single, little emotion…

As if to explode from my trance, I burst upright suddenly and staggered from my seat. I hit the floor on my knees, gasping and heaving for air. It was alive!… they… were alive. Living… communicating… self aware. I curled up in a ball on the floor, unable to stop the wash of tears that suddenly seemed bent on consuming me.

For you see the single emotion it showed me… was love…


	14. Darkrai

**Darkrai**

I was summoned to Giovanni's office at the gym later that afternoon. I wasn't exactly doing much anyway, but going into work on the weekend was the last thing I had in mind.

"Aisha, take a seat," my father barely glanced up from his paperwork that littered his desk.

I took up the single chair sitting in front of his desk and let my eyes trial across the elegant room that seemed so small compared to his office at HQ. The place was a mess of boxes and equipment that was in the process of either being moved back to HQ or sent into storage.

"Getting ready to hand the gym over to Agatha?" I questioned with the rise of an eyebrow.

A nod and a grunt was his only reply.

Persian quietly entered in through the double doors that had been left slightly ajar and greeted me with a nose kiss on my hand. I gave it a brief scratch behind the ears before it headed on over to its master.

Finishing what he was doing, my father sat back in his seat and allowed the giant cat to clamber onto his lap.

"Your mission last night merited more success than I had anticipated."

"That's good," I said.

He nodded, giving his Persian a stroke. "I'm resuming operations on New Island so a brand new, state of the art lab is being constructed as we speak. When it's ready I want you to oversee the project. You'll be reporting directly to me on our progress," he smiled, "While construction is taking place, the extraction of the Mew DNA has already started in the lab at Headquarters. There's enough DNA to create an entire Mewtwo army if I see fit."

"In the meantime, we're concentrating on creating something to get the original Mewtwo back, right?"

"Yes," replied Giovanni. "As we did with the original Mewtwo, my scientists are drawing back on Fuji's research and splicing the DNA with other Pokémon. This time it's Pokémon that possess strong Dark type elements such as Umbreon and Darkrai."

"Darkrai?" I shivered at the thought. "How did you get your hands on one of those?"

My father simply smirked, "with great difficulty. Darkrai is the strongest Dark type I've come across and it has a useful attack called Dark Void that is unique to its species."

I sniggered, "Oh I've been on the receiving end of that attack. It's not a pleasant one."

"I know. I watched Lance use it against you on the video playback. While Darkrai on its own isn't strong enough to stand up to Mewtwo, its attack will be perfect for our project in disabling Mewtwo in the event that it choses to run again. Which brings me to my next point," the smugness on my father's face soon dissolved into a serious scowl. "You're off your game."

I found myself taken aback by his statement. "What do you mean? You yourself said the mission was a success. How can I be off my game?"

Pushing Persian from his lap, Giovanni got to his feet and slowly walked the length of his office to his bar and poured a drink. "Aisha, I've noticed a change in you, one that concerns me greatly."

To my surprise he didn't partake of his drink, he merely strode on over and placed the glass on his desk in front of me. "Drink," he ordered.

My eyes fell on the glass, the alarm bells immediately going off in my head. His action seemed innocent enough, but I knew better. My father was a deliberate man - there was always an underlying motive behind these things.

"No… thank you," I replied slowly… carefully.

"That wasn't a suggestion, Aisha." Standing over me with a hand on his desk, he looked like a giant. "Drink."

I took the glass from the table, watching the dark liquid that rolled about over two chunks of ice. The smell alone was enough to make me want to hurl, I couldn't even press it to my lips and pretend to drink. It didn't matter anyway, my hesitation only confirmed his suspicions.

Leaning back on his desk, Giovanni crossed his arms over and pinned me in my seat with a glare so dangerous I thought it would slice me in half. "I'm not ignorant," he growled. "I watched both your mother and Delia go through this. You're pregnant."

I opened my mouth to refute him but his yell cut me off and shattered what was left of the calm.

"Don't you give me that, Aisha! Do you really believe me to be that stupid? To hope that I wouldn't find out?"

"How…?" my voice came out as nothing more than a squeak.

His face was red with fury. Fists were clenching and teeth were grinding. The entire Team Rocket crime syndicate could have fallen down around our feet and he still wouldn't have been as angry as I saw him right then. "The one thing that both you and my wife are yet learn is that I find out _everything_. Nothing goes on between these walls that escapes my notice."

I immediately had to swallow, suddenly worried not so much for my safety but Delia's. "Father, please don't drag Delia into this. She was only doing what she thought was right. I was the one who insisted-"

"That she not inform me? Aisha, she became a part of this when she failed to deliver that paperwork to my desk. I will deal with her later."

I couldn't look at him. I had to pull myself from his gaze and stare at the ground. "And what are you going to do with me?"

For a moment he said nothing, he just got to his feet and paced about his office, never taking his gaze off me. "You will report to the medical facility at once and have this problem terminated. Then, if you know what's good for you and your lover, you will cease your relationship at once."

"You're forcing me to have an abortion?" I was utterly mortified at his statement. I jumped upright from my chair. "You can't do that! I will not comply!"

"Then you leave me with no other option."

I went to dash from the room to avoid meeting with this 'other option' but quickly striding over to his chair, my father pressed a button under his desk and in an instant two huge thugs piled into the office.

I backed but only found myself completely overtaken as they grabbed me by the arms and spun me on my feet to face him.

Giovanni's step was slow and calculated as he approached me, his eyes taking in my now exposed and protruding stomach. The look of fury returned in his eyes and I knew there wasn't much that restrained him from taking me with his bare hands and ripping me to shreds.

Instead he made a point of plucking the Pokéballs from my waist before pulling away his jacket and clipping them to his belt. Then he turned his back to me… as though to no longer acknowledge my existence.

"Take her to the lab. Make sure the job gets done."

There was no point in fighting brute strength. Not when I had other ways of escaping Giovanni's men. We barely made it through the office door before I closed my eyes and teleported from the scene. Unfortunately, due the fact that they were holding me, they invariably came along for the ride. So I made a point of reappearing in the gym several feet in the air.

I landed on my feet and they landed on their faces.

The moment I hit the ground I took off at top speed for the gym door, my father's goons scrambling upright and taking off after me. They were quick, but I was quicker and utilizing my ability, I managed to teleport my way across the gym. I barely hit the door when suddenly a brilliant, white light engulfed me, stopping me in my tracks.

"Wha-?" I yowled.

I my limbs… I… couldn't move! Instead, and as if by an invisible force, I found myself picked up off the ground as I felt the pressure of a barrier that formed across my mind. The strange force carried me back across to the gym's centre circle where there it dropped me in a crumpled heap.

Wheezing, I rolled onto my side only to face with my father who slowly made his way down the stairs. I was aware that I needed to teleport…to get away… but… I just couldn't remember how! What had happened to me? Something had used a disable attack on me!

I struggled to conjure a psywave to hamper Giovanni's approach when from nowhere the ghost appeared and descended on me. It's horrible, dark features something that could only be concocted from my worst nightmare. Drifting only feet above my head, it watched me with two icy blue eyes, a three fingered claw outstretched and ready to do its worst on me.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you," my father met me in the centre circle, positioning himself inches from where I sat. "Not unless you want to suffer the consequences of my Darkrai friend here."

"Go to hell!" I spat at his shoes.

"You better hope that doesn't become a reality. Because by the time you meet me there I'll be running the place." His smugness turned into a dangerous leer, "This is your last chance Aisha. You will submit to me now or you will spend the rest of your miserable existence locked up in a cell and utilized as a laboratory experiment."

But I wasn't listening to him. I was concentrating my mind on my Pokéballs that sat strapped to his belt. He didn't expect the ball to break open and the red beam to explode from his waist.

My father howled, stepping back to allow the huge, red beast to land in front of him, hissing and snarling.

"Charizard! Smokescreen!" I burst to my feet just as the dark smoke cloud filled the gym and I tackled my father to the ground.

Plucking my other Pokéball from his belt I turned and bolted for my Charizard but Giovanni was on his feet faster than an eye could blink. In a single motion, he caught me by my waist-length ponytail and wrenched me backwards into him.

I screamed as my body hit his and his huge hand curled around my throat, his other came at me in the form of a back-handed slap, its force so great that I felt the R of his ring tear through my cheek. Dazed and mortified, I vainly clawed at him but it was like scraping against hard rock. I struggled to breathe… my mind becoming nothing more than a hazy mist.

I was vaguely aware of the commotion my Charizard caused… my mind so slow and sluggish that my eyes only saw flashes of red as a backdrop behind the bloodthirsty snarl of my father.

Then all at once the hand let me go… let me fall back into the floor at his feet.

"Darkrai," he sneered. "Use your Dark Void on her…"

* * *

**Author's note:** Aaaand that ends Volume 5!

Lance fans, I'm sorry Lance didn't feature much in this… but to make up for it, boy do I have a big treat for you in the next volume!

Stay tuned for Volume 6: Rise of the Shadow Dragon. I'm posting right after I submit this :)!


End file.
